


Ashley and the Red Planet.

by steeleye



Category: Dan Dare, Dollhouse, Star Trek, Star Wars, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Mummy, Total Recall (1990)
Genre: Gen, Humour, Original Fiction, Sci-Fi, action adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-18 05:58:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20634236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeleye/pseuds/steeleye
Summary: “Aren't oxygen and hydrogen inflammable? Ashley frowned, “Wouldn't they kinda explode with all the heat going on?” “Well yes,” Shran agreed, “I think you've spotted the major flaw in the Ancient's plan.”





	1. Chapter 1

Ashley and the Red Planet.  
By Steeleye.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything you might recognise in this story, I write these stories for fun not profit.

**Crossover:** Multiple xovers; ideas taken from, Terminator SCC, Dollhouse, The Mummy, Star Wars, Star Trek and Total Recall.

**Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar:** Written in glorious UK-English (the original and best) which is different to US-English.

**Timeline:** Not applicable.

Words: 16 Chapters each of 2500+ words.

Warnings: Fire in the hole! 

Summary: “Aren't oxygen and hydrogen inflammable? Ashley frowned, “Wouldn't they kinda explode with all the heat going on?” “Well yes,” Shran agreed, “I think you've spotted the major flaw in the Ancient's plan.”

0=0=0=0

_My mama told me I should never venture into space,  
But I did, I did, I did,  
She said no Terran girl could trust the Martian race,  
But I did, I did, I did._

‘Space Girl’, written and performed by ‘Imagined Village’; highlight and right click to follow the link…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ZgShUIfQc

0=0=0=0

The engines roared and kicked up clouds of dust as the starship slowly descended towards the landing pad just outside the great domed city. As soon as the claw-like landing struts touched the pad the noise from the ship's engines began to lessen as they began to shut down. The dust that had swirled around the craft quickly started to settle in the thin atmosphere to leave a filmy red-ish coating on the ship and pad. Very soon there was a silence broken only by the sound of metal cooling in the cold air.

“So this is Mars...” Ashley said as she watched the view screen which gave her a three-hundred-and-sixty degree view of the world outside of ship, “...looks like a total dump.”

“You're not seeing it at its best,” Audvak, Ashley's demonic-space-alien lover pointed out, “I'm told that the sunsets after a volcanic eruption can be quite spectacular.”

“Uh-huh,” Ashley remained unconvinced as she shut down some of the ship's systems; Audvak had been teaching her how to operate the starship and she'd got to the point where she was allowed to switch stuff on and off, but only under strict supervision.

“Anyway,” the almost eight foot tall alien shrugged his massive shoulders, “we're not here for the view.”

“Yeah, right,” Ashley unstrapped herself from the co-pilot's seat which like most things on the ship, was far too big for her, “so why are we here again?”

“Treasure,” Audvak gave his companion a big toothy grin.

“Do you do anything that isn't to do with making a profit?” Ashley asked.

“Of course I do,” the big, brown, space- demon gave Ashley an injured look, “I _do_ you and I don't expect to be paid...”

“Okay,” Ashley laughed, “apart from all the sex.”

'All the sex' was one of the reasons that Ashley had gone with Audvak when he'd offered to take her away from Earth, that and how she had nothing to stay on her home world for...and the sex was good, in fact it was more than good. The big demon was so much more of an accomplished lover than any of her previous lovers, either human or demonic, and that was saying something because a lot of her demonic lovers had really rung all her bells!

“But seriously,” Ashley jumped down from her demon sized seat, “what treasure are we looking for specifically?”

“Follow me to the common area and I'll show you,” getting to his feet Audvak led the way to the common area behind the ship’s bridge.

The ship wasn't cramped even when you were sharing it with a very tall, broad shouldered space-demon. When Ashley had been helping Audvak to clean and repair the ship (it had spent over five years abandoned on the shore of a lake on Earth while its owner had been looking for spare parts), she'd counted up the staterooms and worked out that the ship had enough room for twenty or so Audvak sized passengers and crew. Simply from counting the chairs on the bridge she'd guessed that the ship had originally needed a crew of six on the bridge alone. It was obvious from what Audvak had told her and the evidence of her own eyes that nearly all the ship's systems had been automated which allowed Audvak to fly the ship by himself.

At this point it should also be pointed out the Audvak's ship was not some gleaming starship as seen on Star Trek or in Star Wars, no way. The ship was old and rundown, it also gave the impression of having been built from pieces of several other starships. When Ashley had first come aboard the corridors were full of junk, about half of the light fitting were broken and there was a lot of damage from water that had leaked in and the battle to regain control of the ship from the vicious little blue demons that had infested the ship. It had taken them four or five weeks before Ashley could leave Audvak's and her stateroom without her skin crawling and feeling like she needed a shower after she'd touched something. Not that having a shower with Audvak to scrub her back was bad, in fact it was very good but it tended to slow the day's routine down...a lot. Reaching the common room, Ashley helped herself to a drink from the food dispenser, it tasted almost exactly like hot chocolate, but wasn't. Taking the mug of hot, chocolaty, goodness from the machine she walked across the lounge to sit next to Audvak on a large settee-like couch.

“So,” Ashley sipped her drink and smiled, “what's with the treasure, is it like gold and diamonds or is it tech stuff?” 

“Gold and diamonds,” Audvak smiled as he sat back and put his arm around Ashley's shoulder.

“Cool,” Ashley snuggled up to her lover, “a girl can't get enough diamonds I always say, so spill, what's the what?”

“Before I was stranded on Earth,” Audvak began to explain, “I came into possession of a map that showed the location of the legendary 'City of the Dead'.”

“City of the Dead?” Ashley looked up into Audvak's big, brown, innocent face and wondered what the catch was, “City's with names like that tend to be, 'not of the good'.”

“Fear not, my splendiferous Ashley,” Audvak laughed, “the city has been lost and abandoned for tens of thousands of years, that's why its legendary.”

“Okay,” Ashley sipped her drink again, “so we're not going to have to fight off hordes of dead things, so lets see this map.”

Standing up, Audvak walked over to a small locker attached to the forward bulkhead and removed a small, ornately carved box, bringing it back to where Ashley was sitting he placed it on the table in front of the couch. Sitting up, Ashley leaned forward to examine the box more closely. It was about three inches across, octagonal and appeared to be made out of some gold coloured material. The top of the box was divided into eight segments which kind of suggested that it might be some sort of key. Although the box had symbols engraved on it none of them looked like a map, at least not to her.

“Gotta say, Aud,” Ashley sat back against her lover once she was satisfied she'd seen all there was to see, “I'm not getting any map-vibe offa this thing.”

“That's because you need to do this,” reaching for the box, Audvak picked it up and did something to it which caused the segments to spring open, as soon as the box was fully open a map appeared in the air above it, he set it down on the table, “there, you see?”

“Wow!” Ashley put down her drink and leaned towards the box to take a closer look, unfortunately none of the landmarks made any sense to her so she looked at Audvak for an explanation.

“See here,” Audvak manipulated something on the side of the box with his big blunt fingers and the map got bigger, “this...” he gestured to a pictogram of a city, “...is the City of the Dead...” again he did something to the box, “...and this is the city we've just landed near...”

“Yeah about that,” Ashley frowned, “shouldn't we be doing something about customs, docking fees and such?”

“Yes,” Audvak nodded, “but the ship's computer is dealing with that, if there's any problem it'll tell us.”

“Cool,” Ashley replied, relieved that she'd not have to deal with alien customs officials, “so what's the plan? Do we fly there or what?”

“Oh no that would be too dangerous...”

“How did I know you'd say that?” Ashley sighed, “Dangerous?”

“Well,” Audvak shrugged his large muscular shoulders, “there's always other treasure seekers, and pirates and of course the 'Old Martians' and a ship this size would be too obvious and easy to track.”

“Pirates?” Ashley groaned, “Old Martians? I'm not even going to ask.”

“Treasure hunting is neither easy or safe,” Audvak pointed out.

“Whatever,” Ashley picked up her mug and drank the last of her faux-chocolate, “so if we're not flying how do we get there?”

“The first part of the journey will be by boat down this canal...”

“Canal?” Ashley gave Audvak a disbelieving look, “There are no canals on Mars it was all a mistake by some guy a hundred years or more ago...like, an optical illusion.”

“Well,” Audvak grinned, “how do you explain all the big ditches full of water?”

“Huh?” Ashley frowned and gave her friend a disbelievinbg look.

“Once we get to this point,” Audvak pointed to a junction where two canals met, “we have to go across the desert on Mehigif-back...”

“Muhegifs?” Ashley mangled the word.

“No 'Mehigif',” Audvak corrected, “they're large, furry riding animals.”

“Okay I can live with that,” Ashley admitted, she'd grown up with horses so another type of riding animal couldn't be that difficult, “so we ride to this Deads-ville place, grab the treasure and high-tail it back here, right?”

“That's more or less it,” Audvak nodded.

“More or less?” Ashley asked suspiciously even if she'd sort of guessed that it wouldn't be that easy.

“Well first we have to go into the city,” Audvak gestured to the city beyond the hull of the ship.

“Why?”

“We need some supplies and there's a guide and we'll need to book passage on the next ferry going our way.”

“A guide?”

“Yes, a fellow adventurer that I've know for years,” Audvak explained, “he claims to have actually been to the City of the Dead.”

“Uh-huh,” Ashley looked up into Audvak's big, dishonest face once more, “if he's been to this Dead-place what's to say he hasn't gone back there and taken everything?”

“Nothing,” Audvak replied, “but there's reputed to be so much treasure there that it would take a thousand thieves a hundred years to empty the place.”

“So how do we find this friend of yours?” Ashley had noticed that Audvak hadn't mentioned his friend's name.

“Oh,” Audvak laughed, “wherever there's a bar fight or a riot, old Jesdageeve will be some where close by.”

“He totally started the riot?” Ashley asked.

“No,” Audvak shook his head, “he'll be there picking up any loose money clips or treasure maps that might be lying around.”

“So he's a thief?”

“Sort of.”

“Either he is or he isn't,” Ashley pointed out.

“Okay, he's thief,” Audvak admitted, “but he's my friend...”

“Hang-on,” Ashley had spotted a possible flaw in Audvak's plan, “you've been stuck on Earth for the last five years, how do you know he's totally still on Mars?”

“Oh, I expect he is,” Audvak said just before he changed the subject, “anyway, if we're going into the city you'll need a disguise.”

“Disguise?” Ashley frowned, “what's wrong with what I'm wearing now?” 

Right at that moment, Ashley was wearing a sort of translucent, skin tight, body suit that only had enough opaque areas to _almost_ cover her 'embarrassment', this outfit was completed by a pair of black thigh length boots with three inch heels. When Audvak had presented her with this and similar outfits he'd claimed that it was the only clothes he had available to fit her, however he'd promised to get her something else to wear as soon as the got to a clothing store.

“And its not as if anyone's going to recognise me,” Ashley added.

“Its not so much that,” Audvak said slowly, “it's just that you look too much like a human and looking human probably isn't such a good idea in Kaza...”

“Kaza?”

“The name of the city...”

“And why is looking human bad?”

“It's not that looking human is actually bad,” Audvak explained reluctantly, “human's are very popular in Kaza, in fact they're popular all over this part of the galaxy, its just that they're popular as...”

The space-demon seemed very reluctant to explain further.

“They're popular because...?” Ashley prompted.

“Erm...how can I put this?”

“As clearly and as quickly as you can,” Ashley suggested; in fact her tone suggested that if Audvak didn’t explain, and do so quickly, he’d be subjected to some extreme violence.

“Look,” Audvak sighed heavily, “humans are popular because they make such good slaves...”

“SLAVES!” Ashley yelled making Audvak flinch away from her.

“Look,” Audvak held his hands up to ward off any attack Ashley might launch, “can I help it if human females are so cute and hard working?”

“But slaves!?” Ashley was shocked, in fact she was horrified.

It didn't take long or much imagination to know why human slaves were so popular, it was because ninety-nine percent of all human slaves were female. Deep down Ashley knew that one of the main reasons Audvak liked her so much was because she was a young, short, attractive, human female with big boobs. But he'd been civilised enough to ask her to travel the universe and be his partner (in every sense of the word), he'd not tried to kidnap her, not after he'd got to know and respect her. Because of Audvak's actions she'd sort of assumed that all space-demons would be the same.

“So you can see that looking so human...and so cute,” Audvak explained apologetically, “would be more trouble than it's worth.”

“Okay,” Ashley sighed resignedly, “I'll go with a disguise, but you better make sure I don't look like some sort of ugly hag-monster...and definitely _no_ tentacles!”

0=0=0=0


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing that Ashley noticed as she climbed from the weird machine in sick-bay was the large, brown, space demon grinning at her; these days Ashley didn't mind Audvak seeing her naked. After all she slept with him and made love to him almost every night for the last six months or more. The second thing she noticed was the large bulge in the front of the tights under his tunic.

“You want I should do something about that?” Ashley gestured to Audvak's erection and noticed the third thing, she was green.

“Much as it pains me to say it, my sweetest Ashley, but no...at least not just now,” Audvak gave her a sad look, “I have this feeling that time is of the essence...”

“No time for sex!?” Ashley replied distractedly as she studied her green skin, “Things must be bad...hey, am I green all over?” she asked as she tried to look over her shoulder and down at her butt, “Would it kill you to have a full length mirror in here?”

“Erm...no,” Audvak's grin got wider, he was rather enjoying watching Ashley twist and squirm “and yes you're green all over and its a very sexy shade of green too.”

“Uh-huh,” Ashley continued to examine herself.

The machine had turned her skin a pale green. Looking down at herself she saw that her nipples were a couple of shades darker than the rest of her skin and her finger and toe nails were a very dark green, it was then she noticed she had hair...scarlet hair. One of the stipulations that Audvak had made for her to join him aboard his starship was that Ashley lose all her hair. The space demon's own skin was as smooth as a billiard ball with not one hair to be seen, this was apparently his natural look. At first Ashley hadn't been happy about the idea of complete hair removal but she'd grown used to it and to see the point, like her hair wouldn't get trapped in any of the machinery aboard the ship. But now it appeared she'd got hair again, okay it was scarlet hair but it was still hair and in all the normal places. There was a cute, scarlet triangle between her legs, she wasn't so happy about the underarm hair but she shrugged it off when she noticed that she didn't have hairy arms or legs, in fact her newly acquired hairiness was confined to only four areas.

“Mirror,” Ashley demanded; Audvak produced a mirror from behind his back and held it up for her to admire herself. “Not bad,” she said as she turned herself from side to side and played with the long scarlet curls that cascaded across her shoulders, “its a nice shade of green and it sort of goes with the red hair.”

“I thought you'd like it,” Audvak smiled; Ashley was always sexy however she dressed or didn't dress or indeed what colour she was, or at least he thought so.

Getting closer to the mirror, Ashley studied her face, her eyes were now more like a cat's, the iris' were vertical and amber in colour, she had narrow, smooth, bony protrusions above her eyes instead of eyebrows. When she opened her mouth a little she noticed that her canines were a little longer than they normally were, in fact all her teeth looked slightly pointed and sharper than would be normal for a human, she made a mental note to be careful not to bite her tongue or the inside of her cheek. Finally she looked down at herself before checking in the mirror again, yes she was right, her breasts were just a little bigger than they had been.

“What sort of alien-demon am I?” Ashley wanted to know.

“You're not a demon,” Audvak explained as he started to regret not taking Ashley up on her offer of sex, “You're a Valu warrior...”

“A Val-what?” Ashley asked as she turned to face Audvak and noticed that his erection had got even larger.

“A Valu warrior,” Audvak repeated; his erection was getting painfully large as he stepped towards Ashley's nubile, green form, “They're famous mercenaries so no one will think it odd that we're together...oh gods Ashley, you're so sexy would you mind staying like that forever?”

“Like this?” Ashley replied innocently as she stepped up to the demon and looked up into his eyes, “Its a pity you couldn't have made me taller...”

It was at this point Ashley and Audvak lost control of their desires, pulling at Audvak's clothing, Ashley soon got his erection out into the open. Audvak was a big guy but it seemed that her being green was making him even bigger. Picking Ashley up, his huge hands around her slim waist, he carried her over to an examination table. Lying down on the table and opening her legs Ashley pulled Audvak's head towards her lips.

“Do me!” Ashley gasped as Audvak climbed up onto the table, “Do me now!”

0=0=0=0

About forty-five minutes later Ashley and Audvak were still lying on the examination table.

“It's the hair isn't it?” Ashley asked as she stroked Audvak's smooth skin, just touching him made her feel sexually excited again.

“I have to admit that it is,” Audvak said as he ran his large hand over her breasts tweeking her green nipples as he did so, “I think its the colour...”

“Y'know I could have dyed my own hair?” Ashley pointed out, “If I'd still got it...”

“Something to look into when we're rich,” Audvak replied.

“Yeah,” Ashley reluctantly pushed away Audvak's hands and sat up, “didn't you say something about time being a factor?”

“Yes I did, didn't I,” he agreed as he realised that there wasn't going to be a fifth or sixth 'coming' anytime soon, “I suppose we should get moving.”

The couple got off the table and made there way to their quarters a couple of decks down from the medical bay. Once back in their stateroom, Ashley headed for the shower while Audvak did something at one of the ship's computer terminals. Having showered and examined her new self more closely, Ashley walked back into the main room as she dried her hair.

“Much as I don't mind walking around totally naked,” she announced, “at least on the ship, I can tell you now I've got nothing to go with this skin tone and hair colour.”

“Never fear my gustatory, sensational love,” Audvak got up from the terminal and walked over to the replicator set into the bulkhead, “I've had the computer replicate some traditional Valu warrior clothing and equipment for you.”

He handed Ashley what appeared to be a pair of silver bikini bottoms, putting them on Ashley found that they fitted perfectly which didn't surprise her as the computer was very good at making things that fitted her perfectly. Next came a wide silver belt that went around her waist, attached to the belt was a large pouch and a holster for a handgun. After this, Audvak gave her a baldric from which she could hang the sabre she'd acquired on Earth before joining Audvak. Finally Audvak gave her a heavy metal bracelet.

“It goes around your upper left arm,” Audvak explained when he saw that Ashley wasn't too sure how to wear it.

“What is it?” Ashley asked after she'd examined the rather chunky piece of jewellery and slipped it onto her arm.

“Its a sort of energy field generator,” Audvak explained.

“Huh?” Ashley gave her lover a confused look and added, “I was never big with the science.”

“It'll keep you warm and also give you some protection from energy weapons...”

“Cool,” Ashley smiled, “erm...energy weapons like your ray-gun?”

“That's right,” Audvak nodded, “but remember it doesn't make you impregnable and it won't stop a physical attack...oh, and I better give you this,” he handed over a bulky, bronze coloured, hand gun, “a traditional Valu phaser pistol you can fire about five-hundred shots before it needs to be recharged.”

“Does Captain Kirk know you've got this?” Ashley quipped.

“Who?”

“Never mind,” Ashley shrugged as she slipped the weapon into its holster, she pointed to her breasts which were still exposed to the public gaze, “okay, looks like I've got everything except...?” 

“Except...?” Audvak replied hesitantly as he raised a questioning eye ridge.

“Oh?” Ashley suddenly knew the truth.

“You see...” Audvak began but was soon interrupted.

“Okay, I get it, these Valu women not only have a odd name but they go around totally topless, am I right or am I right already?”

“Well its true,” Audvak gave a helpless shrug, “and it'll be difficult for me to see you like that all...the...time...”

Suddenly lust over took control of Audvak as he picked Ashley up and threw her onto their bed.

“Oh gods, Audvak, I want you so much!” Ashley cried as she pulled at her silver panties and struggled to get her belt unbuckled.

0=0=0=0

“Its totally the hair and the green skin that's doing this isn't it?” Ashley gasped as Audvak rolled off her and they lay side by side on the bed, this time it'd only taken twenty minutes to satisfy their desires.

“Yes,” Audvak admitted, “as you know I find you desirable under all conditions, but your new look makes you almost irresistible...this could be a problem.”

“I don't see a problem,” Ashley grinned lasciviously, but her grin faded as she realised the truth of what Audvak was suggesting, “Oh! Yeah, I see what you mean...we can't just go round screwing every five minutes...”

“No,” Audvak sounded really upset about what Ashley was suggesting, “but we'll have to try and keep control of ourselves...”

“Yeah...” Ashley didn't sound too convinced, “...we must be strong and...and...ooooh, Audvak!” Unable to control herself Ashley climbed on top of her demon and straddled him, “Oh, please, Audvak...once more with feeling.”

0=0=0=0

About two hours later than they'd planned, Ashley and Audvak walked from the ship and through the airlock into the great domed city of Kaza. The city was, as the computer had informed Ashley, about a mile across and covered by a huge transparent dome. To Ashley's eyes it looked a lot like one of those 'future cities' as featured in nineteen-thirties sci-fi comics. Rather unexpectedly her father had had a load of these old comics hidden away in his library; Ashley had caught him reading the comics several times and she remembered the pictures on the covers.

There were two main species inhabiting the city, one species were the human female slaves that Audvak had warned her about, the other race was the slave's 'overlords'. These creatures looked like heavily muscled humanoids with greyish skin and small heads, with heavy features which gave them a brutish look. Their hands only had three thick fingers and a thumb, these digits were completely unsuited for delicate work and all their artefacts looked large and clunky. They had dark hair which some wore in a long pony tail while others shaved very short. Their clothing was made of very brightly coloured, shiny, material and consisted of pants that were tucked into heavy leather boots and a tunic like shirt with puffy sleeves. Each alien wore a wide belt around their waists from which hung pouches and weapons. What all the aliens had in common was that they each carried a three foot long whip which they freely used on their unfortunate slaves.

“You do realise,” Ashley whispered quietly to her partner as they walked along a wide street lined with open shops and workshops, “that I'll be back to kill all these aliens and free the slaves, right?”

Looking down at Ashley, Audvak saw the determination on her face and quickly came to the decision that once they had what they wanted here, they'd never come back. Kaza was too important to the slave trade, it was a sort of clearing house and breeding centre for the trade in human slaves. Customers came from AUs around to buy female slaves and the human breeding males you needed to keep your slave population at a steady level.

“Of course,” Audvak lied, “and I'll be right at your side to help you.”

“Okay,” Ashley continued as they walked on down the road, “where do we find this Jesdageeve guy?”

“With luck, he should still be frequenting a bar I know in the back streets near here,” Audvak pointed to an alley leading off the main thoroughfare, “this way.”

Turning off the main street, Ashley followed Audvak through the narrow twisting alleyways. Here the buildings were much lower and closer together than they'd been on the main street. There also appeared to be a greater verity of aliens. True the most numerous were the humanoids and their human slaves, but Ashley saw several space-demons who looked like Audvak plus several demons who looked a lot like the monsters she'd fought back on Earth. Next her finely tuned senses alerted her to the presence of vampires, turning and reaching for her sabre she saw several human, female vamps go into a building about twenty yards behind her.

“No,” Audvak warned as he laid his hand on Ashley's shoulder, “here they are citizens and you'd be charged with murder if you killed them.”

“You can't kill something that's already like dead,” Ashley pointed out as she let herself be lead further down the passageway.

“Ah!” Audvak said as they walked out into a small plaza full of 'people' and market stalls, “We're here...hasn't changed much since I last visited.”

“Where do we...” Ashley began as Audvak headed off towards what looked like a bar or cantina, she sighed and followed her demon lover, “...this must be the place.”

Almost running to keep up with Audvak, Ashley noticed a group of six slaves unloading what looked like crates of bottled booze from the back of a cart, the cart appeared to be drawn by another six slaves who were harnessed between the cart's shafts. As she watched the women carry boxes into the bar, Ashley felt her anger start to rise. There was a loud crash as one of the women unloading the cart dropped a box and its contents smashed on the cobbled street. In an instead the slave owner appeared and slashed at the unfortunate woman with its whip. The whip easily cut through the thin, dress-like tunic the woman was wearing to leave a livid, red welt across her back.

Before Ashley even realised what she was doing, she'd crossed the distance between herself and the alien. Grabbing him by the back of his shirt and by his belt, Ashley threw him at a nearby wall. The alien hit the hall making a loud thump-like noise. Plaster and the alien fell to the cobbles to reveal an alien shaped indentation in the wall as the extraterrestrial slumped unconscious to the cobbles. Stepping over to where the alien lay, Ashley picked up his whip and pulled it apart before stuffing the remains into his mouth.

“Remind me never to annoy you,” Audvak's voice came from behind Ashley.

“Yeah, well he really made me mad,” Ashley explained.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Audvak looked around to see they'd attracted a small crowd, “but tell me inside, huh?”

“Okay,” Ashley had noticed all the onlookers and was starting to wonder whether the city had a police force. 

As Ashley followed Audvak into the cantina, she started to replay what she'd just done in her mind. Sure, she was strong, in fact she was incredibly strong, but there was something telling her that she shouldn't have been able to do what she'd just done. Those aliens looked heavy, a lot heavier than a human or a vamp. To be honest she shouldn't have been able to throw the alien quite that far and make such a large dent in the wall. A memory came to the forefront of her mind, something about Mars having lower gravity That must be it, she told herself, but, then why didn't she feel like she was going to float away? This was something she needed to ask Audvak about. Finding herself standing behind Audvak, inside the cantina, Ashley decided that it looked suspiciously like the one featured in the original Star Wars movie; there was even a Han Solo look-a-like vampire sitting at a corner table sipping blood from a long thin glass.

“No humans!” a large ape-like demon said when he noticed Ashley standing behind Audvak, he was obviously the doorman.

“My companion is not a human,” Audvak rounded on the creature, “for one thing she's green and for another she's a Valu warrior and you better remember that if you don't want to find yourself eating your own intestines!”

The door-thing stepped away from Audvak after muttering an apology to Ashley.

“I never knew you cared,” Ashley smiled.

“You're my friend and companion,” Audvak pointed out, “you're also incredibly strong so I'd rather you be in a happy frame of mind and by the way, while we're here your name is, Ash-Lee.”

“Ash-Lee the Valu Warrioress?” Ashley asked.

“What's in a name?” Audvak asked with a shrug, “An Ashley by any other name is just as sexy and exciting...”

“Do you think they have rooms to rent by the hour?” Ashley asked breathlessly.

“We can but ask...”

0=0=0=0


	3. Chapter 3

As it turned out the manager of the bar did hire out rooms by the hour, usually with its very own human slave girl, he was most surprised when neither Ashley or Audvak showed any interest in the slave girl's services. Fifty minutes after hiring the room the two lovers lay in the remains of what had once been the room's bed and looked at themselves in the mirror on the ceilings.

“What is it with demons and human girls?” Ashley wanted to know, “Not that I'm complaining and you've always been very nice to me, but...”

“But why do us 'demons' like having sex with human women?” Audvak re-framed the question.

“Uh-huh,” Ashley snuggled up to her very own demon lover.

“You've seen the locals here abouts?” Audvak asked.

“Yeah,” Ashley nodded her head against Audvak's huge chest.

“The ones with the short hair are the females, does that answer your question?”

“Oh my god!” Ashley gasped, “I so totally get it!”

“And another thing,” Audvak held Ashley more firmly to him and wondered if they had time for a 'quickie', “the things you call 'demons' are really sentient lifeforms from other worlds or realities.”

“They are?” Ashley smiled as she ran her hand across Audvak's smooth skin and wondered if there was enough time for a quickie.

“Yeah I'll tell you all about it later...” Audvak explained as he pulled Ashley on top of him; as it happened there was plenty of time for a quickie.

0=0=0=0

Twenty minutes later Ashley and Audvak were standing at the bar again, sipping from a glass of light blue liquid, Ashley watched the denizens of the bar as they went about their business. So, these were all actually aliens, Ashley reviewed what Audvak had explained to her, she smiled as she imagined her father’s reaction to being told that his life's work had been mistaken on some fairly major, basic principles.

“So,” Ashley turned to look up at Audvak who'd been drinking his own drink, “how do all these _aliens_ get from one planet or reality to another? I mean some of them look as if drinking out of a mug is way too technical for them.”

“You don't always need a starship to travel between the stars,” Audvak explained, “there's what you call magic.”

“Magic?” Ashley replied uncertainly.

“Have you ever heard the saying about how any sufficiently advanced technology will appear as if it were magic?”

“No,” Ashley shook her head and really wished her best friend and science nerd Sophie was here to explain everything.

“Magic is really all about mathematics,” Audvak replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, “the computer has an entire library on the subject, you should read it if you're interested.”

“Erm...” Ashley thought this sounded way too much like homework, “...maybe just the clip-notes.”

“As you please,” Audvak shrugged, “in the mean time I must continue to try and find my friend...”

“Oh yeah Jedsaggy,” Ashley put down her glass and watched as it magically refilled itself.

“Jesdageeve,” Audvak corrected her, “the barman said he saw him a couple of days ago and I might find him at one of the slave markets.”

“Slave markets?”

Audvak could clearly hear Ashley's teeth grind together at the mere mention of the words, he came to a rapid decision.

“Look,” he smiled down at his sexy, green companion, “why don't you stay here while I go look for my friend?”

“Cool,” Ashley smiled, “but don't stay away to long, I'm getting the urge to destroy another bed!”

“I'll be as quick as I can,” Audvak reassured her as he downed the last inch or two of his drink before heading for the entrance.”

After watching Audvak go, Ashley turned her eyes back to watching the bar's customers. Apart from the band that was playing alien jazz in one corner of the room, no two demons, she corrected herself in her head and changed the word to 'aliens' looked the same. There had to be twenty or thirty different races of _aliens_ in the bar. Most of them looked basically humanoid particularly the vampire sitting at his table in the corner. Audvak had quickly explained that vampirism was caused by an 'intelligent' virus. Ashley didn't know about 'intelligent' viruses, but she did know that her eyes kept going back to the vampire.

If he was a human-form vampire he couldn’t be very old, from what she'd been told about recent human history was true he was probably around a hundred years old. Or maybe this was a vamp who was from way back in the 1800’s when there’d been a minor incursion from the ‘demonic’ realms. Whatever, Ashley sighed before taking another sip from her glass, there was a vampire in the house and she wasn't that bothered about it, in fact she was just about to go over to the vamp and strike up a conversation with him when someone walked into her arm. Turning to look at the culprit she saw an alien that was only a couple of inches taller than her and who could have passed for a human if it hadn't had a pig's snout instead of a nose in the middle of its face.

“HEY!” cried the alien, “You spilt my drink!”

“No I didn't, you deliberately walked into me,” Ashley replied as she tried to look around the alien, someone or something had sat down at the vampire's table and the two creatures appeared to be in an earnest discussion about something.

“Yes you did!” snapped the annoying alien, “You should buy me another drink.”

“No I shouldn't,” Ashley was more interested in what was happening at the vamp’s table, her senses was starting to tingle.

“Look, you better be careful an' buy me another drink,” explained the annoying alien, “I have the death sentence out on me in twenty....UGH!”

Moving faster than a striking snake, Ashley grabbed the alien by the throat with her left hand and lifted him off the ground.

“Can't a girl have a quiet drink without being bothered by some bozo who thinks they're so mean and scary just because they've got a death sentence hanging over them in twenty or so whatevers?” All this was said in a calm voice to the accompaniment of the alien's choking, as he flailed ineffectually at Ashley's hand trying to get her to loosen her grip. “Now go away you're starting to annoy me.”

Ashley dropped the alien who immediately collapsed onto the floor just as the vampire shot his 'associate' through the table top, the vamp had definitely shot first. For the space of a heart beat there was complete silence in the bar, even the jazz band stopped 'playing'. However the silence didn't last long because it was broken by the sound of someone hitting someone else with a chair. Within a moment a general melee raged in the bar as furniture, bottles and glasses were thrown from one side of the room to the other.

“NO ENERGY WEAPONS!” cried the barkeeper as Ashley headed for the floor and pulled her pistol from its holster.

The proscription against energy weapons seemed to be an invitation for anyone with an energy weapon to draw it and use it. Beams and pulses of energy flashed across the room occasionally making big, smoking holes in anyone foolish enough to walk into one. Surprisingly very few 'people' were actually hit and killed, this, Ashley, rationalised was something to do with the 'Universal Laws of Bar Fights'. This stated that the severity of any injuries sustained by a participant in said bar fight was reduced in seriousness in direct proportion to the number of participants in the bar fight, it was all pretty logical when you thought about it. 

Crouching on the floor, Ashley found herself to be pretty much ignored by everyone, everyone except annoying pig faced man that is. Turning her head she saw the alien crawling towards her between the legs and other appendages of the fighters. He was heading right towards her with murder in his little piggy eyes. Lifting her 'phaser', Ashley shot him in the head. The alien's head disintegrated as his body slumped to the floor. Deciding that it would be best to be somewhere else, she got to her feet and while laying down a lot of suppressive fire with her phaser, she backed towards the door.

Things dived for cover as pulses of destructive energy passed over their heads and impacted the ceiling were they blew, large, smouldering, holes. Building materials rained down on the struggling, seething mass of fighters as Ashley gained the doorway. Just as she was about to turn and run out into the plaza she came into hard contact with a large, warm body.

“Ashley!?” Audvak cried in despair, “I only left you alone for a couple of minutes and you start a bar fight!”

“I _so_ did not!” Ashley snapped back, “There were mitigating circumstances.”

“Whether there were 'mitigating circumstances' or not,” Audvak pointed out, “we better get away from here before the police turn up.”

“Police?” Ashley quickly put her phaser back in its holster, “Ashley and the police like totally don't mix!”

Ashley's history with the police non Earth had never been good, for some reason they were always looking for a reason to arrest her. Turning from the bar where the fight was continuing with renewed fervour now no one was spoiling things by shooting off energy weapons, Ashley and Audvak headed for the opposite side of the plaza where an alley headed off towards the main street.

“My friend is in prison,” Audvak explained.

“Prison!?” Ashley cried as she trotted along side the fast moving alien, “What for?”

“Nothing serious,” Audvak replied with a shrug as they headed down the alley, “he only tried to kidnap the Governor's daughter.”

“Ewww,” Ashley cried as she remembered what the local females looked like.

“I agree,” Audvak slowed to a more reasonable and less guilty looking pace, “why didn't he steal a few human slave girls?”

“Yeah...” Ashley was about to say more about the 'total wrongness' of stealing slave girls when she found their path blocked by a bunch of local cops; she could tell they were cops by their traditional accoutrements.

“'Ello, 'ello, 'ello, what's all this then?” the lead cop gave the traditional greeting of all cops across the universe.

“She's not the Valu Warrior you're looking for,” Audvak told the cop urgently.

“Yes she bloody is, matey,” replied the cop, “I saw her on the security feed from the bar, I've got 'er banged to rights on reckless use of an energy weapon in a confined space, GBH and annoying-alien-slaughter, plus criminal damage...” a big toothy smile spread across the cop's face, “...please tell me you're not going to come quietly.”

“Me quietly?” Ashley replied innocently...half a second before she drew her pistol and started to shoot.

“Ashley!?” Audvak cried as he pulled his own weapon and started to fire.

Beams and pulses of energy criss crossed the alley way as Ashley and Audvak put the cops to flight. Once there were no more standing cops and the survivors had run off to get reinforcements. The two fugitives from law and order, as it was practised in Kaza, ran in the opposite direction to the cops only to run back into the bar fight that had now spilled into the street.

“DON'T!” Audvak yelled as he saw Ashley's hand go for her gun again.

“You're no fun!” Ashley cried as she started to toss people and things this way and that, “And why isn't there a 'stun' setting on my gun?”

Leaving a trail of bleeding and broken bodies behind them, Ashley and Audvak stopped for a breather in the walled off back yard of a building.

“Do you think we're safe here?” Ashley asked as she looked around the yard, it looked as if it hadn't been used for months, years even.

“I think we're safe for the time being,” Audvak replied as he moved a large heavy looking piece of rusty machinery to block the doorway.

“Good!” Ashley walked over to Audvak, jumping up she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist before kissing him with a fiery passion that made the alien stubble back against the wall of the yard, Ashley laughed at the surprised look on Audvak's face, “Time for a quickie!”

_0=0=0=0_

“So prison?” Ashley asked; it was thirty minutes later and the two desperadoes were walking down the main street towards the centre of town.

“Yes,” Audvak looked down at the short green female by his side and started to reconsider his life choices, “he's being held in the city jail behind the police headquarters.

“Police headquarters?” Ashley frowned, “Do you think that's safe?”

“Well,” Audvak smirked, “its certainly the last place the authorities will look for us.”

“True,” Ashley agreed as the neared the prison, “and we can always fight our way out...”

“No fighting,” Audvak warned, “in fact, no talking shooting or anything else just stand behind me and look menacing, can you do that?”

Ashley pulled a face.

“Yes, just like that...” he grinned hopefully at his lover’s face turned a darkler shade of green, “...perfect!”

“I was pouting,” Ashley explained.

“Well you continue to pout, it scares the hell outta me!”

“Bastard!” Ashley took a deep calming breath, “So how are you going to talk our way in seeing that you don't want me shooting anyone or even talking.”

“Jesdageeve is a member of my own species,” Audvak explained as the prison came into view, “I'll just claim to be our race's consul in Kaza and demand to see him.”

“You thing that'll work?” Ashley asked dubiously.

“It should do,” Audvak shrugged again, “and if it doesn't you can always start shooting people.”

“So its okay for me to shoot things when _you_ want me to,” Ashley sulked.

“Ashley...” Audvak sighed heavily, “...females...you can't live with them and you can't keep them gagged and chained up in a dungeon forever.”

“Okay, okay!” Ashley relented, “Just tell me when you want me to open fire or start hitting people.”

“With luck it won't be necessary,” they'd arrived at the gate to the jail as they'd been talking.

Knocking loudly on the gate, Audvak had a noisy and angry conversation with the guard on duty in a language that Ashley didn't understand. After several minutes listening to the two aliens scream at each other, Ashley was just about to start shooting when the gate was opened to let them in.

“There,” Audvak said with a smile, “reasoned argument wins the day, no need to start shooting anyone.”

“That was reasoned?” Ashley replied disbelievingly.

The large brown and short green aliens were led through the jail until they came to a large round court yard with what looked suspiciously like a scaffold standing in the middle of the open area. There standing under the scaffold with a rope around his neck was an exact copy of Audvak.

“That's your friend?” Ashley asked quietly, “And they're going to hang him!?”

“Yes,” Audvak nodded, “in normal Mars gravity too.”

“Huh?” Ashley queried.

“You've probably been wondering why we haven't been bouncing about in the low Martian gravity?”

“Yeah, well, sorta,” Ashley admitted. 

“The city was built with grav-plates, like larger versions of the ones on the ship.”

“Oh I get it,” Ashley tried an experimental jump and found herself going a little higher than she expected and coming down slower.

“It's about eighty-five-percent of Earth normal,” Audvak pointed out, “unfortunately poor old Jesdag is going to be hung over an area where the gravity has been switched off.”

“Nasty,” Ashley whispered after working out the consequences of what Audvak had said, “Erm...do we really need this guy to find the treasure?”

“Well, yes,” Audvak replied hesitantly, “he's been there and he is my friend...”

“Okay, that's cool,” Ashley walked off to talk to one of the locals who was wearing a very brightly coloured uniform. “You in charge here?”

“Yes I'm the Chief Warder,” replied the local looking down his flattened nose at the short, female warrior.

“Hey,” Ashley beamed a pleasant smile at the warder, “I'll give you one-hundred Currency Units to not hang that guy and hand him over to me an' my boss...or, I could shoot you!”

“I said no shooting!” Audvak cried as he slapped his own forehead with a large brown hand.

0=0=0=0


	4. Chapter 4

“You're sexy,” Jesdag told Ashley.

Smiling at the space demon, Ashley watched him pale as he saw her small, sharp, pointed teeth. Sitting in a café near the docks, Ashley, Jesdag and the Chief Warden waited for Audvak to return from buying their tickets.

“What's he doing here?” Jesdag wanted to know as he gestured to his former jailer, he ignored the black eye the warder was nursing.

“He wouldn't let you go unless we took him with us,” Ashley explained, “he also wanted to have sex with me, but I persuaded him it wasn't worth it.”

“So much for Valu women being insatiable,” the warden, who's name was Aftab sulked.

“That'll teach you to like, not listen to racial stereotypes,” Ashley replied just as Audvak returned.

“What's all the dark looks for?” he wanted to know as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Everyone wants to have sex with me,” Ashley sulked, “I know its nice to be wanted but this is going totally too far. Look you guys,” she glared at Jesdag and Aftab, “the only person who's getting any Ashley...” Ashley noticed the warning look on Audvak's face, “...sorry, Ash-_Lee-_love...” she turned to Audvak, “Ash-Lee's such a stupid name!”

“And Ashley isn't?” Audvak wanted to know.

“Don't disrespect the name,” Ashley warned before giving a heavy sigh, “whatever...look the only person _Ash-Lee_ opens her legs...or anything else for that matter, is Audvak, get it?”

“Suppose,” mumbled Aftab.

“You sure?” Jesdag grinned and got a full strength Ashley glare, complete with exposed pointy teeth, in reply.

“Did you get the tickets or whatever?” Ashley asked neatly changing the subject.

“Yes I've booked us passage on the Martian Queen,” Audvak explained, “she'll take us to Maza where we can buy Mehigifs and ride across the desert to The City.”

“When does it leave?” Aftab wanted to know.

“In about an hour,” Audvak replied as he attempted to attract the attention of the human female waitress.

“No time to go back to the ship and pack, right?” Ashley asked.

“Not really,” Audvak agreed.

“Oh, well,” Ashley sighed, “its not that I need a lot to wear,” she shrugged her naked shoulders, I'm sure I can make these panties last a couple of more days...”

“They're self cleaning,” Audvak pointed out.

“Y'know, I don't know if that's 'ew-worthy' or not,” Ashley replied with a frown.

“I have only the clothes I stand up in,” Jesdag pointed out as he looked at his friend, “I don't suppose you could advance me a little cash so I can get some more practical clothing and weapons?”

“Here,” Audvak handed over a small purse that chinked with the sound of coins, “but be quick.”

“I'll be back before you know it!” Jesdag smiled as he grabbed the purse, stood up and disappeared into the crowd.

“I need clothes and weapons too,” stated Aftab.

Ashley agreed, he certainly needed some clothes that didn't make her eyes water. The ex-warden was dressed in brightly coloured outfit that could probably be seen from orbit.

“Well don't look at me,” Audvak said, “I only lend money to friends.”

“You better go home and collect your stuff,” Ashley pointed out, “we'll wait here for you...”

“Oh!” Aftab cried, “You just want me to go so you can run out on me!”

“Would I totally do something like that?” Ashley asked with as much injured innocence as her pointy toothed smile could muster.

“Yes,” Aftab said as he settled into his seat as if he was going to wait there until judgement day.

“Whatever...” Ashley sighed, she shrugged disappointed that her cunning plan hadn't worked.

“Tell me again why he's here,” Audvak whispered in Ashley's ear.

“He's here because he wouldn't let Jesdag go unless he came with,” Ashley explained, “and you never know he might come in useful.”

“Useful?” Audvak asked doubtfully.

“Yeah, we're bound to meet some monsters along the way,” Ashley grinned, “we can throw him to the monster to see how it works!”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you so much,” Audvak leaned forward and gave Ashley a friendly kiss on her lips, which turned into a passionate kiss, which almost ended up with them copulating right there on the table.

“Oh, go get a room would ya?” Aftab groaned.

0=0=0=0

With twenty minutes to spare, Jesdag returned to the café. Instead of the prison coveralls he'd been wearing he was now dressed in the same kind or tights, sleeveless tunic and boots that Audvak habitually wore. He also had a great cleaver-like sword (again just like the one Audvak was carrying) hanging from the wide belt around his waist and a ray-gun that looked big even in his huge hands.

“Change?” Audvak held out his hand.

“Oh, come on!” Jesdag exclaimed.

“You've spent it all?” Audvak groaned.

“Hey look,” Jesdag tried to explain, “I've been in prison, y'know...no female company so I stopped off at a Pleasure House.”

“Didn't take you long,” Audvak observed, “and hey you were only in jail for a little over a day!”

“And if your, 'green-friend'” Jesdag gestured to Ashley, “hadn't got all up-tight and opened her legs for a quick...UUUGH!”

Jesdag rolled about on the floor in agony as he clutched between his legs.

“You guys have totally never heard of 'Women's Lib' have you?” Ashley asked as she retook her seat.

“I have!” Audvak assured her rapidly in an attempt to placate his 'green-friend'.

“I know you have sweetie,” Ashley patted Audvak affectionately on the arm, “it's just these guys...it's tough being green.”

Slowly and painfully, Jesdag regained his feet before slumping back down in his chair.

“I'd like to make it clear,” Aftab pointed out, “that I've accepted that Ash-Lee is her own female and I will not be making any more sexual advances towards her.”

“You'd think,” Ashley shook her head sadly, “that being a Valu Warrior would give you more respect...”

“Now, friends,” Audvak said pointedly, “I think we need to get down to the docks.”

0=0=0=0

The walk to the docks passed without incident and the party were able to board the vessel with several minutes to spare before it cast off and began its journey along the Martian canal. The canal ferry looked like a Mississippi river boat with a great paddle wheel at its stern to drive it through the smooth, frigid water. The main difference between a Mississippi river boat and a Martian canal ferry was that the decks of the Martian vessel were completely sealed behind a transparent wall. This, Audvak explained to Ashley was because it was freezing cold outside the city and the atmosphere was a lot thinner. Accepting this Ashley worried that Audvak and herself would freeze, but then she remembered that Audvak never seemed to be bothered by heat or cold.

“Won't I need more clothes?” Ashley asked as they stood on the deck watching as the boat negotiated the huge airlock that connected the docks with the canal proper.

“No,” Audvak looked down at Ashley and smiled, “remember you have your personnel energy field, it'll keep you warm and protect you from energy weapon blasts.”

“Oh yeah, that,” Ashley held up her left arm so she could study the armband more closely, “how does it work?”

“You don't need to do anything, it just 'works'.”

“Oh...” Ashley let her arm drop, “...it just sorta switches itself on...do I need to change the batteries or something?”

“No the power pack lasts for a year and that one's fully charged.”

“Cool,” Ashley smiled as she took hold of Audvak's arm and hugged it, “I love you Audvak, you're so nice to me.”

“That's not what you used to say...”

“Yeah, well, I totally get it now and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Ashley rested her head against Audvak's arm.

By now they'd passed through the airlock and were heading along the canal at a respectable speed. As Ashley snuggled up to Audvak she watched as the canal bank went by, she noticed all the red weed-like plants that grew along the water's edge and up the bank.

“That's the famous Martian Red Weed,” Audvak pointed out, “it grows everywhere there's water. Once upon a time it grew all over the planet and was a major food sauce for the animals that the Old Martians used to feed on.”

“These 'Old Martians', who or what are they?” Ashley wanted to know.

“They are the native inhabitants of Mars,” Audvak replied, “legend has it that they lived in huge glittering cities with towers that touched the sky. Then the atmosphere drifted off into space and their civilisation crumbled into dust. Nowadays there's probably only a few hundred of them left and they live in underground cities scattered across the planet. They're still very powerful, but they rarely show themselves.”

“Gee, thanks for explaining,” Ashley sighed before asking, “is there a bed close by we can use, I'm still feeling a bit itchy from the café...”

“I booked us a cabin,” Audvak started to lead Ashley away from the ship's side, “I thought we'd have something to eat and then go to our cabin and make love.”

“I don't feel hungry, can't we just screw?” Ashley pleaded.

“But _I am_ hungry,” Audvak laughed.

“Oh, okay,” Ashley pouted, “I suppose I could do with a snack.”

“So its settled,” Audvak laughed, “food first, sex later!”

0=0=0=0

The ship's dinning area covered the forward half of the ferry's lower deck, it also doubled as an entertainment area. There were aliens of all sorts either drinking or eating or gambling at what looked like roulette wheels. While all this was going on human girls weaved between the customers carrying trays of drinks and food. Above the deck, girls in gold coloured cages danced provocatively for the entertainment of the passengers.

“Do all these girls come from Earth?” Ashley wanted to know; she was beginning to think that any attempt she made to wipe out human slavery in the galaxy was going to take a very long time.

“No,” Audvak said as he sat down at a table, “most of them were bred on Mars, they're much more docile than the wild humans you get from Earth.”

“Oh,” Ashley sat down next to Audvak; sometimes she forgot he was an alien and really didn't see anything wrong in enslaving humans.

No sooner than they'd ordered their meal than they were joined by Jesdag.

“Hi, friends,” Jesdag sat down next to Ashley and tried to stroke her inner thigh, he got a fork in the back of his hand for his pains.

“Ash-Lee’s off limits to anyone who isn't called Audvak, remember?” she snapped.

“I do now!” Jesdag replied as he pulled the fork from his hand, “Anyway, see those four green guys with the blue guy sitting with Aftab?”

“The Treens and the Andorian?”

Ashley turned her head so she could see who they were talking about. Sure enough there were these four green guys with skull-like heads, no lips, pronounced eye ridges and bulging eyes, sitting with a more normal human-like guy, if you ignored the blue skin, white hair and two antennas growing from his forehead. They were all sitting laughing and drinking with Aftab.

“What about them?”

“Look, I bought them some drinks...I'll need some more money to pay the tab...” Jesdag gave Audvak a roguish smile, “...and it looks like they're heading for the City of the Dead too.”

“Do they have a map?” Audvak asked darkly.

“No but that Andorian guy...” Jesdag gestured to the being in question, “...he's some sort of scholar or something and he's worked out where the city is...should we kill them?”

“No!” Audvak exclaimed, “At least not while we're on the boat,” he pushed another small bag of coins towards Jesdag, “go back and see what other information you can find out....and this time I want the change back.”

“Looks like everyone is green,” Ashley centred her attention back on Audvak, “what are Treens?”

“They live on, or should I say, under the surface of Venus,” Audvak told her.

“Andorians?”

“From Andoria,” Audvak shivered, “a very cold place.”

“Okay, enough of the learning, can we go to bed now?”

0=0=0=0

While they ate there meal, Ashley still didn't really feel hungry, but she ate to keep Audvak company, another figure joined the other party of treasure hunters. The new comer was completely human and female in appearance, but it was obvious from the assured way that the woman moved that she was no slave.

“Who's she?” Audvak asked when he saw who Ashley was looking at.

“My trouble seeking senses are telling me she's a vamp,” Ashley thought for a moment before looking towards the large windows along the side of the ship, “its still daylight so why's she not a pile of ash on the floor?”

“You're sure she's a vampire?” Audvak glanced at the windows and then back at the suspected vampire.

“As sure as I can be without her sucking on my neck,” Ashley replied.

“She doesn't burst into flames because we're too far away from the sun...”

“Y'kidding me!” Ashley looked at her partner disbelievingly.

“Its only logical really,” Audvak explained, “on Earth vampires don't burst into flames because of starlight and they're suns, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Ashley agreed, it was true even on the brightest of starlit nights back on Earth not one vampire had ever gone up in flames.

“The 'burn-out' point for vampires is about halfway between Earth and Mars,” Audvak pushed away his plate, “On Mars vampires can go out in the midday sun, some even get a suntan.”

“Come off it!” Ashley laughed, “A suntan?”

“Alright, maybe the suntan thing is a myth, but out here vampires don't have to sleep the day away.”

“Darn...” Ashley said at the injustice of the universe, “...anyway, what's she doing with those other guys?”

“Perhaps they've hired her as muscle or maybe she's a guide,” Audvak suggested.

“Whatever,” Ashley sighed before noticing that Audvak had stopped eating, “you ready then?”

“Yes,” Audvak started to get up, “but I'll take a couple of turns around the deck before bed, sex on a full stomach is never a good idea.”

0=0=0=0

Having eventually walked off his dinner, Audvak was dragged back to his and Ashley's cabin just as the sun set and the sky turned dark. Bursting into the cabin, Ashley quickly divested herself of her sword, gunbelt, boots and panties before she pushed Audvak onto the bed and started to struggle with the laces and toggles that secured his clothing. After a couple of minutes she eventually had Audvak naked and lying on his back on the bed. Climbing on top of him she held his erect penis in her hand for a moment before kneeling on his thighs and guiding him into her with a satisfied sigh, moving up and down and around and around, Ashley started to moan as her desire increased.

But even as Ashley rocked back and forward as she brought herself and Audvak to a mutual climax, red eyes shone out from the cowls of robed figures that lined the canal bank or that hid in the red weeds at the water's edge. At a signal from the leader, boats were pushed from the bank as electric motors sped the boats and their cargo towards their target.

0=0=0=0

Highlight and right click on the links below if you don't know what a 'Treen' is...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treens


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up, Ashley had the strongest feeling that there was someone else in the cabin apart from herself and Audvak. Lying there next to the warm, comforting bulk of her demon-lover, Ashley concentrated and listened very hard. Ignoring the sounds of Audvak's breathing and heartbeat, she heard the faint sounds of stealthy footsteps as they moved around the compartment. Listening as whoever it was searched for something, Ashley quietly rose up and looked over Audvak's body to see a short figure going through her and Audvak's belongings.

“Hey!” Ashley called attracting the short, robed figure's attention, “what the feck do you think you're...” a pulse of destructive energy narrowly missed her head as the intruder fired a weapon at her, “...doing!”

Jumping from the bed, Ashley leapt at the robed figure catching it around the upper body and bringing it to the deck with a loud thump. Together they struggled on the wooden floor as she tried to get a grip on the creature prior to beating some information out of it. Although the creature was short, no more than three or four feet tall, it _was_ strong, not as strong as her, but strong enough to hold her off long enough for some of its friends to arrive to help it out. 

The door burst open to reveal two more diminutive, robed figures clutching daggers and ray-guns. They burst into the cabin only for one of their number to have its head removed by a large, testy space-demon armed with a huge cleaver-like sword. Blood sprayed everywhere as Audvak decapitated the intruder. Surprised by the sudden death of its comrade the surviving attacker ducked just in time to avoid joining its confederate in sudden death. Roaring, Audvak made another swipe at the surviving creature but once again missed his target. The intruder raised its knife and stabbed Audvak through the foot.

“OWWWW!” Audvak cried as he hopped away from his attacker clutching his wounded foot.

“Big baby!” Ashley admonished while at the same time she snapped the neck of the intruder she was at present sitting astride.

As the robed intruder died, Ashley realised three things; first, Audvak was temporarily hors de combat; second, she was naked and sitting astride a dead body; thirdly there was still an active, hostile combatant in the room. Jumping to her feet, she acquired the remaining intruder. Throwing herself at the creature she tackled it to the deck before it could defend itself with either its dagger or gun. Once again there was the satisfying sound of a branch breaking as Ashley twisted the creature's head until its neck broke. Getting back to her feet she rushed over to where Audvak had stopped hopping about and was now sitting on the floor nursing his injured foot.

“Are you okay?” Ashley asked in concern as she knelt down next to her lover.

“I'll live...” Audvak replied,

“Good,” Ashley stood up and went in search of her clothes and weapons.

“Good?” Audvak cried, “Good? Is that all you've got to say?”

“Totally, you said you'd live,” Ashley answered as she slipped on her silver panties before buckling her gun-belt around her waist.

“But I could have been seriously injured!”

“But you're not,” Ashley put her baldric over her head and drew her sabre, “now stop acting like a big baby and get dressed and grab your weapons.”

“Why?” Audvak pushed himself to his feet; limping across the room he collected up his clothes, “we've killed them all.”

No sooner had the words left Audvak's mouth than two more robed figures presented themselves at the door. Dispatching one with a sword thrust to the abdomen, Ashley recovered her blade just in time to cut off the head off the second.

“Perhaps you're right,” Audvak announced as he looked down at his lover's latest victims.

“I'm a woman...I’m always right...” Ashley replied before shouting, “...DOWN!”

As they headed for the deck, pulses of energy punched through the walls of the cabin. Hauling her own pistol from its holster with her left hand, Ashley sent an answering volley of energy pulses back through the wall. The wall, being made of a wood-like material burst into flames as firing became general all around the ship.

“I think its time to leave!” Ashley called as she shot back at their unseen assailants.

“Take only weapons and money,” Audvak cried as he struggled to put his boot on his wounded foot.

“Money?” Ashley queried as she shot down another hapless victim, this time it was another passenger who'd made the mistake of running passed the open cabin door, “Ooops, sorry!” Ashley said to the smouldering corpse, she looked at Audvak again and repeated, “Money?”

“Of course money,” Audvak was now dressed and searching for his ray-gun and money belt, “as long as you've got money you can buy things.”

“Oh, yeah,” Ashley moved towards the door sabre and phaser at the ready, “silly me...”

“Ashley,” Audvak called; as Ashley turned to look at him he threw her armband to her, “Here don't forget this, I'd be just a little up set if you were killed.”

“Awww,” Ashley smiled at the big demon, as she slipped the band onto her arm, “you say the sweetest things.”

“Here you better take this too,” Audvak tossed her a heavy satchel which clinked with the sound of coins, “and this...”

The 'this' was a cylinder about eighteen inches long and four across. At one end of the cylinder was a valve which had a clear plastic tube leading to an equally clear face mask designed to fit over the wearer's nose and mouth. There was also a strap so that the cylinder could be carried on the user's hip with the strap going across their shoulder.

“What's this?” Ashley asked as she put the strap of the cylinder over one shoulder and the strap for the satchel over the other.

“With all this shooting,” Audvak said as he adjusted his own cylinder, “someone’s bound to shot out the...”

There was an intense burst of firing followed by a loud whooshing noise as the air started to escape from the ship through a newly opened ventilation hole in the side of the hull.

“Me an' my big mouth...” Audvak sighed.

“Come on we better go!” Ashley called as she stepped out into the companion way and was immediately hit by an energy beam.

Her personnel energy field blazed with light as it deflected the destructive energy of the beam, lifting her own weapon, Ashley fired back but was unable to see whether she'd hit anything, however the agonized scream would suggest that once again her combat skills had translated themselves into the death of a not so innocent bystander.

“Wow!” Ashley turned to grin at Audvak, “That was _way_ cool.”

“No time to waste,” Audvak cried as he collected up his weapons and meagre belongings, “you can thank me later...”

“Don't worry I will!” Ashley replied as she scanned the corridor for threats, “What about Jesdag and Aftab?”

“Oh, don't worry about them,” Audvak joined Ashley in the corridor, “they can look after themselves, lets get up on deck where we can see what's going on.”

“Okay,” Ashley gestured with her phaser, “this way.”

As they moved towards the ladder that would take them up to the main deck they noticed that the fires were dying down because of the lack of oxygen. The lack of oxygen also meant that anyone without a bottle of breathable air wasn't going to be going anywhere.

“Shouldn't we do something to help these people?” Ashley asked as she knelt down to check the pulse of a human member of the crew who'd passed out.

“No!” Audvak replied, “We must concentrate on saving our own skins.

“Okay,” Ashley readily agreed as she got back to her feet, leaving the young woman to lie where she'd fallen, “which way now?” 

“Put your mask on,” Audvak said as he pointed along the corridor, “through that door.”

Pausing only long enough to place the mask over her nose and mouth, Ashley was surprised to feel the mask bond to her skin forming an airtight seal, no sooner had she fitted the mask than she felt cold air against her face as the cylinder supplied air for her to breath. Now protected from the lack of a breathable atmosphere, she headed towards the door. Stepping out onto the main deck, she was confronted by three short-robes. Shooting one with her phaser she cut the other two down with her sword. Turning to face what might be another threat, she found herself face-to-face with Jesdag and Aftab.

“Hi guys!” Ashley called brightly as she shot someone who might have been about to point their weapon at herself and her friends.

“Hi yourself,” Aftab replied grumpily as he fired at a wounded short-robe who was dragging himself towards the side of the ship.

“Hello sexy!” Jesdag grinned as his eyes roved up and down Ashley's body.

“Get real...” Ashley sighed when she noticed that even with all the death and destruction, Jesdag still had a one track mind.

“What's going on?” Aftab demanded as he exchanged fire with someone on the canal bank.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Ashley replied as she joined Aftab in shooting at whoever was on the bank shooting at them.

“We were in our room...” Audvak began only to be interrupted by Jesdag.

“Yeah, about that,” Jesdag frowned, “how come we didn't get a cabin?”

“Focus guys,” Ashley called, “people shooting at us.”

“Ashley has a point,” Audvak said.

“Who?” Aftab stopped shooting for a moment to look questioningly at Ashley and Audvak.

“Sorry, I meant to say, Ash-Lee,” Audvak corrected himself, “now I suggest we all head for the stern...”

“Why?” Jesdag wanted to know.

“Because that's where they keep the life boats.”

“Fair enough,” Jesdag replied with a shrug.

“Stern?” Ashley asked.

“The blunt end opposite the pointy end,” Aftab explained with heavy sarcasm.

“Hey!” Ashley pouted, “How should I know, I'm not a sailor-girl.”

“Whatever,” Audvak called getting everyone's attention, “shall we go?”

Heading towards the stern they found that they were heading into a firefight. Beams and pulses of energy lit up the darkness as passengers and short-robes exchanged fire. Bodies fell with smoking holes in them as the battle intensified. More holes were punched in the side of the ship which was now taking on an alarming list to the right.

“I don't think we'll make it through that,” Ashley gestured to where the Treens and their Andorian and vampire allies had taken up position behind some cargo crates between the short-robes and the lifeboats.

The Treens were wearing helmets which looked like goldfish bowls, while the Andorian wore a mask like the ones being used by Ashley and her friends. The vampire girl didn't need to breath so wasn't wearing a respirator of any kind. Two of the Treens were firing plasma rifles at anything that tried to get near their position while the remaining two Treens readied a lifeboat for launching. While all this was going on the Andorian cowered behind a heavy metal post clutching a large, thick book to his chest. Not to be out done by the two shooting Treens the female, human-form vampire was firing a large calibre slug-thrower at the panicking passengers and the not so panicking short-robes. Watching as the vamp shot a passenger, Ashley saw the slug hit the creature in the face and using its razor sharp teeth start to burrow its way into the creature's skull. 

“Ewww,” Ashley ewww-ed as the creature clawed at it's own face in a futile attempt to stop the slug from chewing through its skull and eating its brain.

“I don't think they're planning on taking passengers,” Aftab said as he took a pot-shot at one of the Treens.

“I think he's right,” Ashley agreed as she stood up and shot at the Treens herself, unfortunately her target appeared to have his own energy shield so her shot had no effect.

“Perhaps we can steal one of these little boats,” Jesdag suggested.

“Boats?” Audvak looked over the side of the ship to see several small motor boats tied to the side of the ship, he quickly ducked back into cover as half a dozen multicoloured energy beams shot through the space he'd occupied only a second before.

“Hold on!” Jesdag stood up and fired his oversized weapon at an unseen target on the canal bank.

A beam of energy about the width of Ashley's fore arm lanced towards the shore, followed later by a tremendous explosion that rocked the entire ship.

“I didn't do that!” Jesdag cried defensively.

The ship, already listing alarmingly to the right started to roll over as gas and little blue flames escaped from the great holes in its side. People and creatures cried out in alarm as the ship began to slip beneath the frigid waters. Over at the stern of the ship the Treens and their allies climbed aboard the lifeboat and sealed the hatch before launching their craft and heading for the shore. There was a mass, panicked, rush for the one remaining lifeboat as the ship increased speed toward the bottom of the canal.

“We'll never get aboard the life boat,” cried Jesdag.

“We will if we kill everyone,” Aftab suggested as the list got worse and he had to hang on to the side of the ship to stop himself from sliding across the deck and into the water.

“OVER THE SIDE, MOVE!” Audvak ordered.

Clambering to her feet, Ashley vaulted over the ship's side to find herself standing on the hull. The ferry had rolled over so much that the side of the ship was now level with the surface of the water. Beneath her she could feel pieces of machinery breaking loose below decks as the ship settled in the water. As she headed for the keel of the ferry a thought entered her mind, she'd never asked Audvak how deep the canal was. This could be important as the ferry might settle before it was completely submerged and she wouldn't have to jump into the very cold water that now swirled darkly towards her.

As the ship continued its journey to the bottom of the canal, Ashley resigned herself to having to swim for shore. Jumping she landed in the water a couple of yards away from the keel as the ferry turned turtle and plummeted to the bottom of the canal, much in the same way as she was right now! Frantically she struck out with her hands and feet towards the shore but she continued towards the bottom of the canal as if she was a very heavy rock.

Remembering to breath, her air mask seemed to work under water, Ashley landed on the bottom of the canal only moments after the ferry. Engulfed in a cloud of sand that swirled about her, she took a moment to try and work out why the heck she'd sunk to the bottom like this. She'd always been a strong swimmer, she'd even tried out for her school's girls swim team. After that she'd left the competitive swimming to her friend Enya. Standing there as the sand slowly settled around her, Ashley realised that it had to be all the coins in the satchel she was carrying weighing her down...that and all her weapons. Sighing into her mask she visualised her position in relation to the shore and started to walk.

0=0=0=0


	6. Chapter 6

Rising from the cold, dark waters of the canal like some sort of short, green and soggy Venus, Ashley stumbled as she headed for the shore. Recovering herself she stepped up onto dry land and paused before walking in a small circle as if she was unsure of which way to go, eventually she stopped and removed the air-mask from her face.

“Hey, we can breath!” Ashley cried as she looked up to where Audvak, Jesdag and Aftab stood looking down at her.

“Erm...yes,” Audvak replied hurriedly, “Jesdag and myself have big lungs and Aftab doesn't need that much oxygen and you...”

“It must be my superior metabolism,” Ashley replied as she pushed her way through the red weed that lined the canal bank and up the slope to where her friends were standing. As she came level with Audvak she stumbled again.

“Ooops!” Ashley cried as she regained her balance.

“Are you all right?” Audvak asked with genuine concern as he held onto Ashley's arm to steady her.

“I think I've got water on the brain,” Ashley replied with a frown as she stuck a finger in her ear and wiggled it about in an attempt to get the water out of her head.

“Water on the brain?” Jesdag grinned, “Then what you'll need is a tap on the head!”

“Ha-ha,” Ashley's knees gave way under her and Audvak had to lift her upright again, “very funny...” she looked at Audvak, “...this is weird.”

“Do you feel light headed?” Audvak wanted to know.

“No,” Ashley shook her head as water trickled from her left ear, “my head feels exactly the same weight as it normally does.”

“Light headed?” Jesdag smirked, “Then you'll need a...!”

“Can it, dead meat!” Ashley snapped as she appeared to recover herself.

“That's my Ash...Ash-Lee,” Audvak corrected himself and looked pointedly a Jesdag, “back to normal and wanting to kill someone.”

“Yeah right,” Ashley agreed, “where are we?”

“As near as I can tell,” Aftab volunteered, “we're a couple of days walk from Maza, where we were supposed to land, looks like we're in for a long walk ahead of us.”

“At least there's plenty to eat,” Audvak gestured to the red weed that was growing along the canal side.

“You can eat this stuff?” Ashley asked as she broke off a stem and sniffed at it suspiciously before nibbling at the broken end of the stem, “Sweet,” she announced, “but I'm not hungry...”

“I say you fellows!” Jesdag cried as he pointed along the canal bank, “I think I see a camp.”

“A camp!?” Audvak turned to look in the direction Jesdag was pointing.

“Maybe its those little bastards who attacked the ferry,” Aftab suggested.

“Maybe we should beat some information out of them,” Ashley growled, “like, why they attacked the boat.”

“Good idea,” Audvak agreed, as he looked around at his comrades, “ready?”

“Ready,” everyone replied as they drew their weapons and prepared to advance.

“Why don't you go first, Ash-Lee,” Audvak suggested, “you've got the energy shield.”

“No problemo, Audvak baby!” Ashley replied as she started to advance on the suspected enemy position.

“What's wrong with her?” Jesdag whispered as he walked along side Audvak.

“I thing some water actually did get into her brain,” Audvak frowned; he'd noticed that Ashley was walking oddly, every few steps she'd lift her left foot as if she was stepping over something.

“She won't go berserk and kill us all will she?” Aftab asked as he aimed his ray-gun at Ashley's back.

“No!” Audvak laughed unconvincingly, “Now lower your weapon, Ash-Lee is the least of our problems.”

“Hey guys!” Ashley called, as she came to a halt a few yards ahead of the rest of the party, “It's a camp alright, but there's no one ho...!”

“Energy beams flared out of the night as everyone but Ashley dived for the ground before returning fire.

Standing as her energy shield either deflected or absorbed the deadly energies directed at it, Ashley fired back at the attackers and missed! Looking at her phaser as if it had somehow deliberately let her down, she holstered her gun and drew her sabre before heading off in the direction of the source of the beams. Ceasing fire for fear of hitting Ashley the three aliens lay and listened to the screams and cries for mercy of whoever had been foolish enough to attack them. There was one final, meaty, 'thump', before moments later, Ashley reappeared wiping the blood from her blade with a piece of black robe.

“More of those short, robed feckers,” Ashley announced as she sheathed her sabre, “what have you got here?”

“Haven't had time to look,” Aftab replied as he attempted to keep at least two yards between himself and Ashley, “too busy being shot at.”

“No problemo,” Ashley grinned as she started to go through the short-robe's belongings.

There were sleeping bags, too short even for Ashley to use, some spare blankets and weapons. There was also a camping cooker and a pile of rations. Kneeling down, Ashley picked up a vegetable that looked as if it was a cross between a potato and a sugar-beet.

“What have you got there?” Jesdag asked as Ashley examined the vegetable closely.

“These natives eat a great many of these,” Ashley replied in a very robotic sounding voice.

“Uh-huh...” Jesdag couldn't help but feel something wasn't quite right with Ashley's behaviour, so he surreptitiously increased the distance between her and himself.

“They peel them with their metal knives,” Ashley explained in a flat, monotone, metallic voice, “boil them for twenty of their minutes,” she continued as everyone except for Audvak backed away from her, “then they SMASH THEM ALL TO BITS!” she cried loudly before concluding in a much more normal voice, “They are clearly a most primitive people...”

“Alright,” Audvak sighed as he put his arm around Ashley's waist, “that's enough, I think you need to have a little sleep...”

There was a quiet 'click' and Ashley closed her eyes.

0=0=0=0

Waking up, Ashley found it was morning, the sky was its usual, pale blue, Martian self. From where she lay in Audvak's arms she could see the reddish sand sweep away up into a series of low dunes. Moving the large brown arm that lay across her breasts, Ashley pushed herself up right and groaned.

“Owww...” Ashley's hand went to her head and felt a bandage, “...what happened?”

“How do you feel?” Audvak asked as he rose to sit next to Ashley.

“My head hurts,” Ashley sulked, “did I fall asleep?”

“Just for a little,” Audvak smiled at the expression on Ashley's face, “you must have hit your head. I had to cut some of your hair away so I could put a dressing on it.”

“Oh, you're so good to me,” Ashley put her arms around Audvak's neck and gave him a long passionate kiss.

“I take it you're feeling better?” Audvak smiled as Ashley let him go.

“Yeah, much,” Ashley reassured him, “but I feel oddly hungry.”

“Then we better make breakfast,” Audvak started to get up but Ashley stopped him.

“Not until I've totally dealt with that,” she gestured to Audvak's erect penis and giggled, “I mean you might trip over it and hurt yourself.”

0=0=0=0

“Are you sure its safe?” Aftab wanted to know as he watched Ashley go down to the canal to collect some water.

“Of course she's safe,” Audvak replied testily, “I programmed in enough inhibitors to prevent her from turning on me or anyone I say is a friend.”

“You're sure?” Aftab wasn't so easily mollified.

“Sure I'm sure,” Audvak snapped, he didn't like being questioned by low-life demons.

“What was wrong with her?” Jesdag said before Aftab could open his mouth again.

“Her self diagnostic was right, some how water had got into her central processor. All I had to do was cut open her scalp, pop the cover, unscrew her chip and dry it off.”

“So she's back to normal?”

“Of course,” Audvak calmed everyone.

“Good,” Jesdag shrugged before going back to finishing his breakfast, “one thing...”

“What's that?”

“How come she never notices that she hardly every eats or drinks and doesn't have to urinate or defecate?”

“She's programmed not to notice,” Audvak explained.

“Cool...”

“Quiet!” Audvak whispered, “She coming back...”

“Here,” Ashley placed the bucket of water next to the fire over which they'd cooked breakfast, “what's next?”

“I suppose we better start walking,” Audvak observed as he looked off down the line of the canal, “but first we better fill our water bottles.”

0=0=0=0

“Jawas!” Ashley cried out unexpectedly about half an hour later as they walked along the bank of the canal.

“What?” Audvak asked; he'd grown used to Ashley just shouting out something unexpectedly over the months they'd been together.

“Jawas,” Ashley repeated, “its been totally bugging me since I woke up, I knew I'd seen them somewhere before.”

“Please explain,” Audvak asked as he gave his companions a warning look which told them they better put their weapons away before Ashley noticed and decided they were a threat and not friends.

“They're these totally short scavenger guys who drive around the desert in huge 'Sand-crawlers'...”

“Sand-crawlers?” despite himself Jesdag was fascinated by Ashley's explanation; how could someone from a race that had never achieved interplanetary flight, let alone interstellar flight, know so much about aliens, unless Audvak had programmed her to have all this knowledge.

“Totally huge tank things,” Ashley explained excitedly.

“Tank?”

“I'll explain later,” Ashley replied with a rather manic grin.

“You're sure she's fixed?” Aftab whispered, he was torn between, greed and running for his life, after a short struggle greed won the day, but he shifted his gun to a position from which it could be more rapidly drawn.

“Look,” Ashley went on, “they're like these scavengers who totally collect junk and steel robots...or maybe they steal robots...whatever.”

“They do?” Audvak was fairly sure he'd never heard of these creatures.

“Uh-huh,” Ashley nodded, “but I totally don't know how they got to Mars coz they live on Tatooine, but both places are pretty much all desert.”

“Alright, that's one mystery solved,” Audvak announced.

“And the next mystery,” Aftab looked rather pointedly at Ashley, “assuming that your sex-toy isn't completely _crazy_, is why did they attack the ferry?”

“I...” Audvak was about to answer when Ashley interrupted him.

“Did anyone notice where those Treen guys went to?” Ashley asked her mind shooting off at a tangent.

“I saw their lifeboat head towards the opposite bank of the canal,” Jesdag volunteered.

“I wonder what they're up to,” Audvak asked as he watched the farther bank of the canal for movement.”

“Knowing our luck they're probably heading in the same direction we are,” Aftab moaned, his concerns about Ashley forgotten, at least for the moment.

“So...” Ashley turned her head to look up at Audvak, “...what's the what with this City of the Dead place...apart from all the treasure?”

“It's an ancient place,” Audvak started to explain, “It was ancient ruins when mankind still lived in caves. Its where all the Old Martians went to die, in fact several off world races used to bury their most honoured dead there...”

“Why?” Ashley wanted to know.

“No idea,” Audvak shrugged, “perhaps it was _the_ place to be seen dead in...” he sighed heavily, “...whatever, when they were buried the who-evers also had their most treasured possessions buried with them...”

“Like a favourite teddy-bear...” Ashley smiled, “...like if I was buried there I'd totally have my favourite Barbie Doll buried with me!”

“Barbie Doll?” Audvak asked before deciding he didn't want to know, “No, don't tell me...”

“Perhaps this Barbie Doll was one of Ash-Lee's old lovers,” Jesdag whispered in Audvak's ear while at the same time imagining Ashley making out with this girl called Barbie-Doll.

“Where was I?” Audvak tried to ignore all the distractions, “Oh yes, treasure and how it was buried with everyone who was anything.”

“Yeah, anything else we need to know?” Ashley asked cheerily.

“Well, there is talk of an ancient evil,” Audvak said quietly.

“An ancient evil?” Ashley gasped, “Like The Prime Evil?”

“Nah,” Audvak shook his head, “its a lot older than The Prime Evil...”

“Like a prototype evil?” Ashley queried.

“Something like that.”

“Thank the gods for that,” Ashley gave a relieved sigh, “that was a lucky escape...” she frowned for a moment before asking, “...how come we never meet, The Prime Good, or, The First Funny or The Prototypic Happy?”

“Lucky I guess,” Aftab replied, “imagine what the 'Prototypic Happy' would be like?”

“Yeah, like loads of really bad jokes,” Ashley said sadly, “and probably mimes.”

“Mimes...” everyone agreed in disgust.

“Anyway,” Audvak tried to stop everyone from getting too depressed about unspeakably ancient mime artists, “its all probably stories designed to stop people robbing the place.”

“Did it work?” Ashley wanted to know.

“No,” Audvak shook his head.

“Cooool,” Ashley smiled.

0=0=0=0

Walking on in silence, Ashley's mind kept coming back to how completely fictitious creatures from movies kept popping into her reality. No sooner had this thought surfaced in her mind that another followed swiftly on its heels. How come, someone on Earth knew about Jawas and put them into a film. For a moment Ashley considered the possibility that George Lucas was an alien and all the Star Wars films were based on fact. After a moment more she dismissed the idea, no one in real life could be stupid enough to build _two_ Death Stars without point defence systems, it must all be a coincidence.

Having dealt with the possibility of George Lucas being an alien in a person suit, Ashley turned her mind to the problem of why the Treens had a vampire with them. This was way more important to Ashley's mind than whether George Lucas was really an alien in a George Lucas suit and how many tentacles he had. No, vampires and 'ancient evils' were never of the good. What if this vamp was one of those vampires who were set on bringing extra large helpings of evilly-evilness down on top of everyone's head? Of course she'd have to stop it and no doubt ruin her relationship with Audvak in the process.

For a moment, Ashley thought about her relationship with Audvak and smiled and then she thought about it some more and smiled even harder. 'Oh, yes' she thought, 'yeah, harder...!' Mentally slapping herself across the cheek, Ashley got her mind back on track and out of the sack. It was no good, she decided, it didn't matter how evil this ancient evil was and whether or not it was the evil that the Prime Evil got all its really evil, evil ideas from, it wasn't going to mess with what she had with Audvak. Anyway, just how evil could a prototype evil be? It was a prototype, right? That had to mean that it hadn't got all the evil stuff down quite right yet, like it’d have loads of ‘bugs’, right…?

So, she'd be able to kick its, no doubt scanky, evil butt, without having to give up what she had with Audvak. Smiling with relief, Ashley wondered when she'd be able to get Audvak alone again. Frowning she realised that it probably wouldn't be until evening...this adventuring gig was surely cramping her love life. Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked around to see Jesdag pointing at something up on one of the sand dunes.

“Phew!” Ashley sighed with relief, “So not a Sand-crawler...”

0=0=0=0


	7. Chapter 7

The figure Jesdag had spotted turned out to be a Canal Martian. These were tall, well over six feet, the creatures scarped out a living by using anything they found in or near the canals. Aftab explained that they were slowly going extinct as life outside the doomed cities became harder and harder. The Canal Martians (no one could pronounce the Canal Martian's own name for themselves) were said to be related to the food animals that the Old Martians had eaten in ancient times. This worried Ashley because what Aftab (who seemed to know a lot about Canal Martians) was suggesting was that the Old Martians ate sentient, or semi-sentiant creatures.

As has been mentioned, the Canal Martians were almost all over six feet tall, they had long spindly legs with large flat feel which prevented them from sinking in the soft sand of the dunes while at the same time being useful for swimming. They had long muscular arms and their fingers were webbed, again to help with swimming. Their wore no clothes but their bodies were covered in thick grey fur and their heads were similar to a coyote's but with much larger ears.

The Canal Martian they'd spotted led the adventurers to his camp where Aftab, who spoke a little of the Canal Martian language, was able to buy five Mehigif riding animals, one each for the group plus another to carry the supplies they'd also bought from the Canal Martians. The Mehigifs were large (about the size of an African Rhino) six legged creatures covered in long, thick, sandy coloured fur. It was difficult to tell which was the front and rear of the creatures as their fur covered their eyes and mouth and their legs appeared to be double joined at the knee. They were, however, capable of crossing long distances across the waterless Martian deserts and carrying heavy loads.

After spending a night with the Canal Martians, Ashley, Audvak, Jesdag and Aftab set off early the following morning across the desert in search of the City of the Dead.

0=0=0=0

As the day progressed the sun rose higher into the cloudless sky but gave little warmth. Ashley was warm enough due to her energy field that somehow kept the frigid air away from her skin yet didn't appear to prevent her from breathing, she couldn't help thinking that Earth scientists would be fascinated by the device...as would Earth’s military; it would certainly give them an edge against the many alien raiders that plagued Earth at this time. As they rode towards their goal they split up into two groups. The lead pair of Ashley and Jesdag rode along about fifty yards from where Audvak and Aftab led the pack Mehigif on the end of a long piece of rope.

“I wish I had one of those energy field things,” Aftab shivered slightly in his cold weather clothes.

“No you wouldn't,” Audvak shook his head.

“Why not?”

“You'd suffocate, or have to keep switching it off,” Audvak explained, “it only works on Ash-Lee because she doesn't need to breath.”

“Ah,” Aftab nodded wisely, “I see...so what's it like screwing a robot?”

“Ash-Lee, is not a robot,” Audvak replied testily, “she's...” the big alien shrugged, “...well, really I don't know what she is...a mechanical life-form is the best I can come up with.”

“But she still wants to screw you,” Aftab sniggered, “I mean that can't be natural, like you're different species...”

“True,” Audvak admitted with a curt nod, “and yes I can alter her body-form and how she thinks to a certain degree, but generally speaking she's her own person. Who knows one day she might take it into her head to leave me and there'd not be a lot I could do about it.”

“What if she's damaged?” Aftab asked.

“She's very difficult to damage,” Audvak explained, “even without the energy field, but if she was too damaged for her self repair systems to deal with I can build a new version of her and put the old chip in a new body.”

“What if the chip is damaged?” Aftab seemed very interested in how Ashley 'worked'.

“I have a copy of her original mind-scan,” Audvak replied, “I can make a new chip, but the new Ash-Lee won't have any of the memories from all the time since she was first created.”

“Interesting,” Aftab said slowly, “I don't suppose you'd be interested in selling this Ash-Lee making machine, with an army of almost indestructible ro...sorry...mechanical lifeforms, I could make myself High Lord Almighty of all Mars and corner the market in human slaves!”

“Not for all the Currency Units on Mars,” Audvak replied.

“How about telling me where you got this machine then?”

“I found it on a planet out on the rim,” Audvak explained; Aftab would never be able to find the world, he wasn't even sure if he could find it again himself, “it was obvious that the planet had once been the home of some highly advanced race that had suddenly vanished leaving only an enormous machine buried under the desolate surface of their world.”

“More machines?” Aftab laughed.

“This one was _big_,” Audvak continued, “it was more like a city...you could walk around inside it.”

“Something so big must be very valuable, wasn't it defended?”

“If it was,” Audvak shrugged, “then it didn't shoot at me, perhaps the defence systems didn't work anymore.”

“And?”

“I found several machines that I was able to remove and later sell, but the 'Ash-Lee making machine' as you call it I kept, initially because I didn't know what it was for. I had to experiment.”

“And?” Aftab repeated.

“Some of my initial experiments weren't what you might call successful,” Audvak shivered but not with the cold, “and to be honest until I captured Ash-Lee I'd not met anyone I wanted to spend my life with.”

“That's right,” Aftab gave Audvak a pitying look, “you people mate for life...and you say you captured the Ash-Lee prototype on Earth?”

“Correct,” Audvak was starting to feel that he might have told Aftab too much already.

“And she was one of these bio-enhanced women that makes slave trading so difficult these days,” Aftab sighed heavily, “the human’s military make more of them every year its getting so an honest trader can't make a living.”

“Indeed,” Audvak replied laconically.

“That's why my people set up the breeding farms on Mars,” Aftab explained, “we generally only raid Earth now for new samples to improve the bloodline of our existing stock.”

“Have you ever considered that taking humans as slaves is wrong,” Audvak kind of liked humans (mainly the females), and he couldn't help thinking that using them as slaves was bad.

“No...” Aftab replied emphatically, “...I do not!”

0=0=0=0

It was late in the afternoon of the second day when the party came to a long, low ridge. They'd sort of agreed that now would be a good time to camp for the night as the sun was getting pretty close to the horizon. Not really being bothered by such things as cold, hunger and the need to rest, Ashley said that she wanted to ride on to the top of the ridge and see what she could see. Although Audvak had his map it was a little hazy where distances were concerned. They knew they'd been travelling in the right direction, but were uncertain how long they should stay on their present course before turning for home and writing off the entire expedition as a failure.

Leaving the three guys to make camp, Ashley urged her Mehigif up the long, steep, sandy slope. Catching her first glimpse of the top of the pyramid while she was still only half way up the slope she wondered just how big the structure was. Not calling out just yet to tell her friends what she'd found, she squeezed with her legs to encourage the Mehigif onwards. Slowly climbing to the top of the ridge the sight that greeted her eyes would have taken her breath away, had she had any breath to take away.

Sitting in awe astride her beast, Ashley gazed out across the great expanse of perfectly flat sand towards the pyramid that rose majestically into Mars' thin atmosphere. The simple scale of what she was seeing left her unable to take her eyes off the scene. The ridge she'd climbed wasn't a ridge, it was in fact the heavily eroded wall of a huge crater. The pyramid had been positioned in the center of the crater its once smooth sides pitted with smaller meteor hits and the erosion from centuries of Martian sandstorms and no doubt rain from back in the days when it still rained on Mars.

“Wow!” Ashley whispered to herself before turning to look down to where her friends were making camp, she called out to them, “Looks like we're here already!”

Her shout caused the three aliens to look up.

“What!?” Audvak's voice floated up to her on the thin Martian breeze.

“Come on guys!” Ashley called having regained full control of her senses, the sight of the pyramid had momentarily overwhelmed even her electronic mind, “You'll want to see this...”

Watching as the three aliens looked at each other, shrugged and started to climb the side of the crater wall, Ashley smiled to herself as she imagined her friend's reactions when they saw the pyramid. Sure enough when the guys caught sight of the structure a lot of surprised expletives filled the air for a couple of minutes until everyone simply fell silent.

“How big is it?” Ashley asked.

“That's a very personnel question,” Audvak gave Ashley a confused frown, “and by now I'd have thought you'd know.”

Ashley returned Audvak's frown with one of her own until she realised what the space-demon was talking about.

“You've totally got a one tracked mind,” Ashley told him, “I meant, how big is the...” she gestured at the pyramid unable to find words to fully describe what she was looking at, so she went with, “...pyramid.”

“Big...” Audvak shrugged.

“Well, duh...” Ashley replied.

“Just under a mile at its base,” Aftab announced as he took some sort of optical technology from his eye.

“Wow, that must mean its...” Ashley tried to work out the height and possible volume of the structure, “...the square on the high-pot-in-use of a right angle-dangle is equal to...” she gave up, “...lets just say its _big_...”

“The legends say,” Jesdag said, “that the real city of the dead is under the pyramid and the pointy bit is just a...just a...”

“Tombstone?” Ashley suggested.

“Yes,” Jesdag turned to Ashley and said, “thank-you I was a little lost for words.”

“I say this calls for a celebration,” Aftab announced.

“Great, what do you suggest,” Ashley asked, “y'know there's not many bars or night clubs around here.”

“I know!” Jesdag said brightly, “Lets all have sex with Ash-Lee...OWWW!”

Falling off his Mehigif, Jesdag rolled in agony down the crater wall for a couple of yards before he came to a halt as Ashley examined the fingers of her right hand to make sure she hadn't broken a nail.

“Stop playing the fool, Jesdag,” Audvak said wearily “and get back on your Mehigif.”

“While sex with Ash-Lee might be fun,” Aftab explained, “I want to live to enjoy the riches that'll soon be ours...I've got a few bottles of Wejerm beer in my saddle bags we could drink those instead of having Ash-Lee kill us all...”

“Except Audvak!” Ashley pointed out.

“...because she doesn't want to have sex with any of us other than Audvak,” Aftab completed what he'd wanted to say.

“Sounds like a plan,” Ashley agreed before turning to look at her lover, “of course we can have sex, but before that what exactly do we do now?”

“Well,” Audvak scratched his big, square chin, “according to the instructions on the map...”

“There's instructions?” Ashley asked.

“Yes,” Audvak replied, “we have to wait until dawn to find out where the entrance to the pyramid is.”

“Why?” Jesdag wanted to know as he climbed back aboard his Mehigif while trying to keep out of arm's reach of Ashley.

“I expect the first rays of the morning sun shine on the entrance to the pyramid,” Aftab suggested.

“Yeah,” Audvak nodded, “that's about right, so we want to be over...”

“There!” Ashley pointed to the west, her sense of direction had never been that good even as a human, but one would have thought that now she was a highly advanced, sentient, killing and sex machine it would be better, but it wasn't.

“No,” Audvak smiled at his partner and pointed in the opposite direction, “over there...”

“Cool,” Ashley smiled not in the least bit upset about being corrected, “so, we make camp somewhere over there?”

“Yes and we better hurry,” Audvak pointed out as he checked the position of the sun, “it looks like a long ride.”

_0=0=0=0_

It took them another two hours to reach the point from which they'd be able to see the dawn's early light strike the face of the pyramid, it was also freezing cold. Snuggling down next to Audvak in their thick fur sleeping bag, Ashley smiled happily as she switched off her energy field and wriggled out of her panties.

“That's better,” she sighed as she climbed on top of her lover and felt him go hard as her skin touched his, “so, we need to be up early tomorrow,” Ashley sighed as she guided Audvak's penis into her, “ooooh that's so good.”

“Yes,” Audvak replied showing great self restraint as Ashley started to rock, gently backwards and forwards, “we'll need to be UP,” he thrust with his hips making Ashley cry out in surprise and pleasure as more of her lover’s demon-hood slipped into, “and about early to be sure we're there to see the sun..._rise_”

Once again Ashley cried out in pleasure as more of her lover slipped into her and she started to squirm making circular motions with her hips.

“Then we better not waste any time...” she giggled as she increased the speed of her hip gyrations.

0=0=0=0

Out on the sandy plain away from the cosy campsite of Ashley and her friends things stirred. To the north five huge sand-crawler vehicles approached the crater at a steady twenty-five miles an hour. Inside their cargo bays 'Jawa' warriors made last minute adjustments to their weapons. The interlopers had defeated them once on the ferry, but this time things would be different. They would have to be successful this time, no one must be allowed to disturb the sleep of the Great Old One...if he woke up he'd be really testy and testy Great Old Ones tended to be _really_ unpleasant.

0=0=0=0

To the south almost directly opposite the route taken by the Jawa sand-crawlers, five speeders headed towards the pyramid at a much faster eighty-five miles an hour. The first speeder held the four Treens and their Andorian and Vampiric allies. The second speeder was a large cargo model holding a hundred human slaves to do the digging and all the hard work once they got to the pyramid. Once their usefulness was over they'd be left to die in the frigid wilderness as their Treen masters would have no more need for them. As the Treens would be fabulously wealthy by then the loss of a few human slaves girls would be of no concern to them.

The forth speeder was also a cargo model and held nothing but supplies and really wasn't all that interesting. However, the fifth speeder was a completely different kettle of fish entirely. This speeder looked both sleek and deadly, there were at least two weapons turrets protruding from its armoured sides. Within its tough hide the speeder concealed no less than twelve Warriors of Valu who sat motionless as they imagined all the death and destruction they'd visit on anyone who tried to thwart their plans.

0=0=0=0


	8. Chapter 8

_...your android replica is playing up again.  
Oh it's no joke.  
When she comes she moans another's name..._

*

*:Spirit of the Age; Hawkwind.

Astride their Mehigifs the friends stood on the rim of the crater waiting for the sun to rise. Glancing over his shoulder, Audvak saw the far horizon start to lighten as the sky turned from black to blue. It would be a few more minutes before the sun was high enough in the sky to shine its light on the face of the pyramid, time enough for him to ask Ashley a question.

“Who's Matthew or indeed Matt?” Audvak asked quietly, “Are they the same person or two different people.”

“Who?” Ashley turned a puzzled frown on Audvak.

“Matthew,” Audvak repeated, “I've been meaning to ask for some time now, but there never seemed to be quite the right moment...”

“And this is the right moment?” Ashley asked a little sharply.

“Whatever,” Audvak shrugged, “but my question remains, who is Matthew and, or, Matt?”

“He...” Ashley replied slowly not knowing why her lover wanted to know about people she couldn’t remember ever mentioning to him, “...he was a friend of mine back on Earth, why do you ask?”

“A male friend?” Audvak wanted to know, “Was he a _good_ friend? What I mean was he a _friend_ or just a friend?”

“I'm not sure...” the penny slowly dropped through the molasses of Ashley's mind, “...oh, you mean, was he a _friend_, like a _boyfriend_?” for a moment Ashley smiled at the memory of Matthew being her boyfriend, “No we were just friends...” she lied straight faced.

“So not romantically involved?”

“No way,” Ashley shook her head, but wouldn’t look Audvak in the eye, “why do you ask?”

“Oh its nothing,” Audvak attempted to brush off the question.

“No,” Ashley sighed heavily, “you asked, so you must've had a reason and I don't remember ever mentioning Matthew.”

“Oh...” Audvak began hesitantly, “...its just...” he took a deep breath, “...it's just that when you climaxed last night you moaned his name...three times in fact.”

“No I didn't,” Ashley had no recollection of moaning anyone's name other than Audvak's.

“Yes you did.”

“When?”

“Like I say,” Audvak shifted in his saddle, “when your climaxed.”

“I don't remember,” Ashley gazed off towards the pyramid and once again refused to meet Audvak's eyes, “are you sure?”

“Definitely,” Audvak said firmly.

“Weird,” Ashley admitted.

“Weird indeed,” Audvak agreed, “and very off putting.”

“I'm sorry,” Ashley turned to look up at Audvak, “I'll try not to do it again.”

“Thank-you,” Audvak nodded; when he got Ashley back to the ship, he told himself, he'd better pull her chip and check that this wasn't the first sign of a more serious problem.

“Hey look,” Ashley pointed, “the sun's coming up.”

0=0=0=0

Down on the crater floor, Katyusha looked up to see the first rays of the morning sun strike the top of the pyramid. Squinting at the sudden brightness she reached for the sunglasses in her jacket pocket and put them on. Having been a vampire for over a hundred Earth years, she still found it odd and slightly unnatural to be out in the daylight. Even after being off world for the last twenty-five or so years either on Mars or on spaceships working the trade routes between the outer planets and their moons, the sight of a blue sky often filled her with terror as she imagined herself being consumed by fire and reduced to dust.

Katyusha could still vividly remember the day that the Fascists had burnt down her village. Being down by the river reading love letters from her boyfriend at the front, she’d missed being shot as the Fascists cleared her village before burning it down in reprisal for an attack by the local partisans. However, on seeing the smoke and hearing the gunfire, she’d foolishly run back to her village where she’d been caught by the Fascists and raped. 

The Fascist soldiers had left her for dead, but that night an SS vampire had found her and turned her into one of its bloodsucking kind. This was not out of some sort of misguided pity. No, this was so the Vampiric officer and his friends could abuse her all the more with little risk of her dying. It was only in the last days of The Great Patriotic War when the glorious Red Army was one the verge of defeating the Fascists in their capital that Katyusha managed to escape her tormentors.

After two or three years avenging herself against the Germans by eating them Katyusha was captured once more, this time by evil-space-demons. The demons, she'd only later learnt to call them aliens, had descended on the village she'd been 'visiting' and swept up every one between the ages of ten and twenty, the remainder had been killed in various painful and inventive ways, even she'd been impressed by the alien's antics.

Taken aboard the alien's spaceship, Katyusha had fed on the other prisoners for a couple of days before managing to catch one of the guards by surprise. Taking the guard's weapon, she'd moved through the ship like some kind of vengeance demon. After killing most of the crew except for the pilot and chief engineer, she'd persuaded them to take her to Mars,. The terrified survivors had claimed that they couldn't go back to Earth before they ran out of fuel; she later found out that this was a lie and she'd tortured the engineer to death once she'd discovered this little fact.

The pilot had landed the ship at the space port belonging to the city of Daza and it was in this city that she began her education. She learnt that if demons used guns and spaceships that they were actually aliens, if they used swords and magic portals they were real demons. She also discovered that out here on Mars and the other outer planets, the sun was too weak to set her on fire. It was still a little bright for her sensitive vampire eyes, but a pair of 'shades' and a wide brimmed hat easily dealt with that problem. As she moved around the city she discovered that there were large numbers of human slaves who could be bought to provide her with lunch and she also discovered that some of the aliens made a good meal too. Finally she discovered that she needed to find some way of earning an 'unliving'. Just going around biting slave girls on the neck was sure to get her noticed by the authorities and those damn ray-guns that everyone seemed to carry were very effective in reducing even a vampire to a small pile of dust.

Spending the last ninety-five years hiring herself out as a bodyguard or mercenary, she'd seen some pretty 'weird shit' in her time. In the course of one of her weirder jobs she'd come across the map. A map that seemed to point to something of great importance in the high desert. After finding the map she'd found herself becoming obsessed with uncovering whatever it was that the map indicated, she felt physically drawn to it. However it wasn't until the Treens and their Andorian scholar turned up wanting to know the way to some 'City of the Dead' place that Katyusha realised that she could follow the map to her goal.

As the Treens and their Andorian, Shran, didn't have a map only a description of the City of the Dead, it was easy enough for herself to convince them that she had a map and could lead them to the city. The Treens, who she nicknamed, John, George, Paul and Ringo because she couldn't pronounce their Treen names, were blinded by greed and it had been easy enough to convince them that she knew the way to the city.

“It doesn't look like the descriptions in the books,” Shran observed as he looked up at the pyramid and the sun rapidly worked its way towards the base.

“Well its what it says on my map,” Katyusha replied.

“Are you sure?” Shran asked.

“Sure I'm sure,” Katyusha smiled showing off her fangs as Shran paled in fear; the truth was that she couldn't eat the Andorian because his blood wasn't right, but he didn't know that, “Hungry now...” her smile got wider as Shran stepped away from her, “...I'm going to find something to eat.”

Turning on her heel, Katyusha made her way over to where the slave girls that had been brought along to do all the heavy lifting were kept. Once she'd had her breakfast she'd be ready to find out what was so all fired important about this crumbling old pyramid.

0=0=0=0

Picking their way down the side of the crater the friends began to make their way towards the pyramid. It had taken several minutes for the sun's light to make its way to the base of the structure to reveal the entrance. When it had, Aftab had used some of his hi-tech equipment (Ashley thought the device was actually a camera) to make a record of the entrance's location just in case it had vanished by the time they got to it. Eventually the sure footed Mehigifs got them to the crater floor and they started to trot towards the huge stone artefact.

“Hey!” Ashley pointed off to the right to where several high speed dust plumes were making their way towards the pyramid, “What's that?”

Aftab put a pair of electronic binoculars to his eyes and studied the plumes of dust for a moment.

“Its the Treens!” he called out, “They must have gone back to the city and re-equipped themselves.”

“Or had the stuff stashed in the desert away from the canal,” Jesdag suggested.

“Whatever the reason,” Audvak announced, “if we don't hurry they'll get to the pyramid first!”

“HUT! HUT! HUT!” Ashley yelled as she struck her Mehigif on the shoulder with the cane that was used to control the animal, almost immediately the beast burst into an odd six legged run, her friends soon followed suit.

“What do we do when we get there?” Ashley asked Audvak as they bounced along beside each other.

“I don't know what the procedure is when two groups of tomb robbers meet,” Audvak called back, “but at a wild guess I think it involves a lot of shooting.”

“I'm guessing,” Ashley said as she checked on the progress of the Treen party, Ashley's group was ahead but only just, “as it looks like there's more of them than us shooting isn't the preferred option.”

“Never mind that, lets just get to the pyramid first,” Audvak cried as his Mehigif changed up a gear and he nearly fell off the back of the creature.

0=0=0=0

Arriving at the entrance to the pyramid first, Ashley jumped down from her mount and pulled her phaser and drew her sabre as she turned to face the Treen's expedition. Within moments the rest of her party had turned up, dismounted and readied their weapons. About a minute later the Treen vehicles slowed to a stop after turning to face Ashley's group.

“I don't like the look of that,” Ashley pointed to the sleek and heavily armed speeder that was pointing one of its gun turrets at them, “it looks like a tank.”

“There's that word again,” Audvak whispered.

“Sorry I never explained,” Ashley gestured towards the armed speeder, “but that's sorta what a tank looks like.”

“Ah!” Audvak nodded knowingly, “You mean an Armoured Combat Wagon.”

“Whatever,” Ashley shrugged just as the door to the car-like speeder opened and an apparently human woman climbed out.

“Who...” Audvak started to asked.

“Vampire,” Ashley replied, “I'll deal with this...”

0=0=0=0

“Nice outfit,” Katyusha's eyes roamed up and down Ashley's body until they came to rest on her breasts, “but you look a little cold.”

“Erm...yeah...thanks,” Ashley felt unaccountable uncomfortable under the vampire's gaze and crossed her arms over her boobs, “yours too its very...” Ashley struggled for something 'nice' to say about the vampire's outfit of black boots, knee length skirt, blouse, gloves and wide brimmed hat, “...erm...very...black.”

“That's the look I was aiming at,” Katyusha smiled and exposed her fangs, she noticed Ashley tense and misread the reason for her reaction, “Don't worry I'm not going to eat you, your blood's all wrong, copper based, like, eww.”

“Whatever,” Ashley shrugged, “I'm As...” she had to correct herself, “Ash-lee...”

“Stupid name,” Katyusha observed.

“Tell me about it,” Ashley shrugged again, “look, who are you and what do you want?”

“People call me Katyusha, usually just before they die,” Katyusha held out her hand to Ashley who pointedly didn't take it, “whatever, like you've probably noticed, I'm a vampire and I work for those guys,” she gestured over her shoulder to where the four Treens and the Andorian climbed down from their speeder, “my employers don't want any unpleasantness...” again Katyusha gestured, but this time to where six of the Valu warriors were deploying from their AFW, “...but if any turns up we're loaded for bear.”

“What?” Ashley frowned at the Valu warriors; unlike her they were wearing light grey body suits under dark grey panties, their boots and equipment were in the same dark grey, at this point Ashley decided she'd be having words with Audvak, he'd told her that her own outfit was what Valu warrior women wore.

“Its an Earth saying for being prepared for a fight,” noticing where Ashley's attention was directed, Katyusha smiled again, “I gotta say for a Valu you look more fun, your people are normally way more prim and proper.”

“Whatever,” Ashley dragged her eyes back to the vampire and uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips, “okay we can live without killing you all, what do you say, we co-operate?”

“I was thinking more of you leaving,” Katyusha pointed out, “but I can live with co-operation...”

“Don't you mean, 'un-live'?” Ashley couldn't help correcting the vampire.

“Oh, very funny, ha-ha,” Katyusha replied deadpan.

“Sorry,” once again Ashley smirked.

“Whatever,” Katyusha sighed heavily, “lets go tell our people and get set up, okay?”

“Fine by me,” Ashley replied.

For a moment vampire and human-form mechanical entity stared at each other unwilling to be the first to turn her back on the other, after thirty seconds or so, Ashley broke the silence that had fallen between them.

“Okay, this is stupid...what say we both turn on the count of three?”

“Fine.”

“Cool.”

“Do you want to count?” Ashley asked.

“Lets both.”

“Okay, one...” Ashley began.

“Two...”

“Three!”

Both women turned and walked back to their respective groups.

0=0=0=0

As she walked, Katyusha tried to work out how the appearance of the Valu, Ash-lee would affect her plans, she laughed humourlessly, plans? What plans, she didn't even know what she was looking for or hoping to find, she'd just been drawn here. Glancing over her shoulder she got the rear view of Ash-lee as she walked back to her friends. Yes, Katyusha told herself, little Ash-lee looked way more fun than the usual run of the mill Valu and that outfit she was almost wearing was really...well, Katyusha wished she could wear something similar but she had to think about her complexion. Even with the weak sunlight on Mars, she easily came down with a bad case of sunburn, but at night...well, that was a different thing.

Pausing for a moment, Katyusha watched as Ash-lee appeared to be 'having words' with one of the big brown aliens, she grinned at the worried expression on his face as the diminutive Valu poked him in the chest with a hard finger. It was obvious to her that Ash-lee and the demon had a 'thing'. Perhaps if Ash-lee broke up with her lover she'd be amenable to joining her in her sleeping bag. Turning to continue her journey a thought stopped Katyusha in her tracks. What had she been thinking? The space demon obviously had a penis so what was Ash-lee doing anywhere near him, let alone screwing him? Normally the Valu shot any sentient being with a penis on sight (unless they'd been paid not to), they had a real 'downer' on penises.

0=0=0=0


	9. Chapter 9

Behind the thick stone door of the Great Pyramid was a corridor which led deeper into the pyramid's interior. Just behind the door were the remains of people who'd been frozen in time for millennia trapped in poses of panic, fear and terror. They'd been trying to escape the pyramid, they'd failed and had died where they'd stood. Any one discovering these ancient, desiccated corpses would probably ask questions like; what had they been running away from? Why were they like this? What had killed them?

Of course none of these questions would be answered because the dead tell no tales. Anyway, they'd died thousands of years ago. Surely nothing from so far back in time could hurt anybody today...right? Whatever the reason those people had been running away was, it could wait for another day because the people outside were asking a completely different set of questions.

0=0=0=0

“Okay,” Ashley stood with her hands on her hips looking up at the great, weathered, stone door, “how do we get this thing open?”

It was now a couple of hours after the two groups of adventurers had turned up at the pyramid. Ashley and her friends had quickly set up camp, they'd been so quick that they'd had plenty of time to watch as the Treen party had set up there's. First the human slaves had been let out of their transport speeder. Next the young women; at least Ashley assumed that they were young women because they each wore a breath mask and were heavily bundled up against the bitter, Martian temperatures, set up pressurised tents. There was a really luxurious one for the Treens, a smaller not so fancy one for Shran the Andorian and Katyusha the Vampire. Finally there was a large very basic one for the human slaves. The Valu warriors after deploying to 'secure' the area had set up their own habitat while keeping very much to themselves apart from casting Ashley a few curious looks.

“I wonder if those Treens would be willing to hire out a couple of their prettier slaves to me?” this was from Jesdag who'd come to stand next to Ashley to help her stare at the door.

“Stop thinking with your dick Jesdag,” Ashley told him, “we've got more important things to worry about.”

“More important than my sex-life?” Jesdag replied in faux shock.

“There's no mention of a doorway,” this was from Shran as he walked over to join Ashley with Katyusha following close behind him, he opened his great book about halfway through and read for a moment, “in fact there's really no mention of a pyramid.”

“Whatever,” Katyusha shrugged, “everyone knows you can't trust ancient tomes.”

“Look,” Shran pointed at a passage of text in his book, “it clearly states that the entrance to the City of the Dead is through a gateway _not_ a stone door.”

“Then you're probably reading it wrong,” Katyusha said in an off hand manner.

“_Wrong_?” Shran's voice had got noticeably higher, “_**WRONG!?!?**_ I'll have you know I've been studying these texts for fifty years or more...I AM NOT WRONG!”

“Alright already,” Ashley had decided that she should say something before the blue guy burst a blood vessel or something, “this probably isn't even the City of the Dead...” she noticed the look of shock on Shran's face, “...I mean its maybe a different City of the Dead, like they totally couldn't have just buried everyone in the same place right?”

“The green woman might be right,” Shran said quietly, his eyes lit up as he realised the consequences of what Ashley had said, “My stars!” he exclaimed, “I'll be remembered as 'Shran the Andorian who discovered the second city of the dead'!”

“Bit long winded,” Katyusha muttered under her breath.

“Hey!” Ashley stepped towards the blue man, “Watch who you're calling 'Green Woman', Blue Boy! And _we_,” Ashley gestured to her own party, “got here first!”

“Only by a few seconds,” Shran sulked.

“Alright,” Katyusha stepped between the soon to be warring parties, “lets forget whether this is _the_ City of the Dead or a completely different City of the Dead and who got here first...”

“The vampire's right,” Ashley found herself agreeing with the blood sucker, “that's not important right now. What _is_ important is how much treasure is in there and how do we get at it?”

“I have a name you know,” Katyusha pointed out, “I'm not just 'the vampire'...”

“Sorry,” Ashley replied and realised that she was actually sorry, the woman might be a blood sucking fiend from hell (or the victim of an intelligent virus), but she'd also once been human and Ashley couldn't help thinking that it was nice to see a more or less human face again.

“No problem,” Katyusha shrugged, “I've been called worse.”

“You'll have to tell me about it sometime,” Ashley said before gesturing at the great, stone, door again, “but first we need to get passed that.”

“There's usually a secret compartment with a door activation switch inside,” Shran said as he leafed through the pages of his book.

“Or,” Ashley drew her phaser and adjusted the power settings, “we could just blow it open!”

“Great idea!” Katyusha smiled as she drew her own phaser and pointed it at the door.

“NOOOOO!” wailed Shran as he ran to stand in front of the door and protect it with his body.

“Come on Shran,” Katyusha said tiredly, “you know I'll just shoot through you, now move!”

The Andorian scholar held his ground.

“Jesdag,” Ashley looked up at the big brown alien that wasn't her snuggle-bunny and gestured at the Andorian, “could you get him out of the way, please?”

“Sure,” Jesdag shrugged shoulders that were almost as wide as Audvak's, “no problem.”

Striding towards the scholar who still held his ground in spite of the large alien moving towards him, Jesdag grabbed the Andorian by the arm and effortlessly dragged him over to where Ashley and Katyusha stood.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” cried the Andorian as Ashley and Katyusha opened fire.

Their phaser beams struck the stone door sending dust and chips of red hot stone flying in all directions. Halting their fire for just a moment, Ashley and Katyusha advanced on the door to see what effect their phasers were having. They discovered that they blown a crater about six inches deep and twelve across in the door, the stone glowed cherry red and waves of heat rolled off the door making the two adventurers back off a little.

“Again,” Katyusha said and they opened fire once more.

0=0=0=0

Inside the pyramid an area low on the door started to turn black, moments later it started to smoke. Only seconds after that an area of red started to spread in a near perfect circle. After only a few more seconds the point at the centre of the area of glowing red stone turned from red to orange to yellow and finally to white as the temperature rapidly increased and molten rock dripped onto the floor. Very shortly after the first sign of a breach appeared beams of intense energy speared the darkness that had engulfed the pyramid's interior for tens of thousands of years. The beams stopped allowing the air pressure inside this part of the pyramid to equalise with that outside. As it did so the figures of the ancient escapees turned to dust which was sucked out through the hole...at last those people had escaped from whatever terror that had been pursuing them, even if it was a _little_ late to do them any good.

0=0=0=0

“LOOK OUT!” Ashley cried as a horizontal geyser of dust erupted from the hole in the door.

“Its probably nothing to worry about,” Shran announced as he cautiously advanced on the still glowing hole.

“Probably?” Ashley and Katyusha chorused as they kept their phasers trained on the door, just in case there _was_ something to worry about.

“The atmosphere inside the pyramid, or at least this part of it,” Shran explained as he examined the hole, “is likely to be the same as normal Martian atmospheric pressure was when it was sealed...we'll need to set up some sort of airlock unless we want to go through this every time we come to a door.”

As Shran spoke the dust jet stopped, there was a moment of silence followed by a deep rumbling noise. Retreating from the door, Shran stood behind Ashley, Katyusha and Jesdag. The rumbling stopped as suddenly as it had begun only to be replaced with a sound like all the damned souls in hell screaming in torment. Clutching their weapons all the tighter the four heroes retreated from the doorway a couple of more paces as Audvak, Aftab and the Treens plus a couple of their Valu bodyguards came to join them and see what all the noise was about.

“What's going on?” Audvak wanted to know as he pointed his ray-gun at the door.

“Either the doors are about to open, “Ashley explained, “or, we've opened a portal into hell...”

“Is there treasure in this 'hell' place?” Aftab wanted to know.

“Probably not,” Ashley replied just as the sound of screaming and wailing stopped and the door rolled to one side to expose a long, dark passage way leading into the pyramid's core.

There was a sound like drains clearing themselves and for a moment Ashley thought that some new terror was about to manifest itself, it took her a few seconds to realise that it was one of the Treens speaking, she looked at Katyusha questioningly.

“John says that we should send a few of the slaves in to see if its safe,” Katyusha translated.

“Slaves?” Ashley looked over to where the slaves huddled together in fear guarded by a couple of Valu warriors.

“Yeah I know,” Katyusha shrugged, “I have to eat so I don't want too many killed too quickly.”

“Ewww,” Ashley ewww-ed with some feeling, “y'know I'd almost forgotten you're a vamp.”

“Look,” Katyusha lowered her phaser as she turned to face Ashley, “I'm not going to apologies for who or what I am, I have to eat and they're my food source and since when have the Valu ever worried about anyone not of their own race?”

“I'm a rebel,” Ashley explained simply not realising she was falling for one of those racial stereotypes.

“Whatever,” Katyusha shrugged, “its not as if I, like, kill them.”

“You don't?” Ashley said in surprise.

“Well, mostly not...” Katyusha shrugged again, “...I mean us humans have to stick together.

“You're not human.”

“Was once.”

Another outbreak of bad plumbing sounds broke into the conversation. 

“John's getting impatient,” Katyusha translated again.

“Look tell him you and I'll go see if its safe,” Ashley replied.

“Okay, but you can tell him yourself.”

“Huh?” Ashley gave Katyusha a puzzled look.

“They understand Standard but they can't speak it.”

“Oh, like on Star Wars...” Ashley said without thinking.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Ashley turned towards the lead Treen and explained her plan; the Treen gave a very human shrug before gurgling something else in Ashley's direction.

“What did he say?”

“Basically,” Katyusha said, “he said, 'knock yourself out', but not literally.”

“Okay,” Ashley moved towards the door, “you ready?”

“S’pose so,” Katyusha replied as she moved to join Ashley.

“Be careful,” Audvak called; he wasn't too worried if this Ashley was destroyed, he had all the spare parts and information he needed to build a new one back at his ship.

“Your boyfriend not coming with,” Katyusha whispered as they stood on the threshold of the pyramid's entrance. 

“Basically he's a coward,” Ashley admitted, “it's an alien thing and anyway I'm pretty hard to kill.”

“Harder than a vampire?”

“Oh way harder,” Ashley smirked, “I don’t turn to dust if you stick a pencil in my heart.”

“Whatever...” Katyusha shrugged.

Switching on their flash lights they advanced down the tunnel as the beams of their torches forced the Stygian darkness to retreat before them. The sound of running footsteps made them stop and turn around.

“Shran!?” Ashley and Katyusha cried as the scholar made his way through the dust and caught up with the two women.

“I had to see,” Shran explained breathlessly.

“You do realise that your desire to 'see' might get you killed?” Katyusha asked.

“I can live with that,” Shran replied.

“Not for long,” Ashley muttered under her breath, before saying in a louder voice, “come on...”

Moving along the corridor they played their lights over the walls to find them covered with hieroglyphic-like symbols.

“Can you read them?” Ashley asked Shran.

“Only the occasional word or phrase,” Shran explained, “it doesn't make much sense.”

“Not making much sense,” Katyusha said, “suggests that some of it does make sense, so tell us that bit.”

“Well...” Shran brought the party to a halt as he studied a section of wall, “these symbols here,” he pointed to a many headed snake followed by what looked like a cow and a duck, “appear to suggest that this is the resting place of 'The Great Old One' and that there’ll be some sort of spoon shortage if it ever wakes up...”

“A spoon shortage?” Katyusha asked.

“Very original,” Ashley sighed unimpressed.

“Hold on,” Katyusha interrupted before anyone else could speak, “does it actually say, 'Great Old One'?”

“Yes,” Shran nodded.

“AH!” Ashley realised where Katyusha was going with this, “Right...The Great Old One...got it!”

“Go it?” Shran asked puzzled.

“This place is like, totally ancient right?” Ashley asked.

“Uh-huh,” Shran nodded his head again.

“What Ash-Lee's getting at,” Katyusha spoke slowly, “is that this place is really, really like ancient...like _way_ old, much...?”

“...So anything called 'The Great Old One',” Ashley picked up from where Katyusha had left off, “must be totally old, like from the beginning of time,” she looked at Katyusha, “Are you from California?”

“No, originally I’m from a village near Kiev,” Katyusha replied.

“Whatever...” Ashley shrugged.

“Totally,” Katyusha replied, “but I learnt how to speak English from a girl who did and I must have picked up the dialect from her.” 

“I'm so glad that you have appeared to have found kindred spirits,” Shran said with heavy sarcasm, “but what has that got to do with this 'Great Old One'.”

“Like, look,” Katyusha started to explain, “anything called 'The Great Old One' who gets buried in a huge pyramid which has been lost for thousands of years in a desert miles from anywhere...”

“What my friend is trying to say,” Ashley butted in, “is that whatever's down here is probably incredibly evil and not to be messed with. Like, let sleeping evil lie.”

“Look, I like a little evil as much as then next vampire,” Katyusha added her voice to the non-disturbance of evil things party, but I like the universe as it is and have no wish to be turned inside out and left staked out in the sun.”

“Ewww,” Ashley ewww-ed at the imagery in her mind.

“Nonsense, its all bunkum and balderdash,” Shran replied sounding very much like a certain librarian of Ashley's acquaintance. “These stories of ancient evil are spread so as to frighten away tomb raiders and the like.”

“Hey,” Ashley snapped, “when your insides are being pulled out through one of those cute antenna things, don't come crying to me...”

“Or me,” Katyusha added as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

“Look,” Shran said in a placatory tone of voice, “I've probably got it wrong, I need to go back to camp and get my translator online and work on these symbols for a while, in the mean time,” Shran gestured down the corridor where another door could just be made out in the dark, “the slaves can set up an airlock in front of that door. It'll take them several hours and we can all discuss what we should do next.”

“I vote for trying to find the _real_ City of the Dead,” Ashley said.

“Me too,” Katyusha agreed. 

However, Ashley and Katyusha both knew that their concerns would be ignored and the door to the next section of pyramid would be opened, and who knew what evil would come rampaging from the depths of the pyramid.

0=0=0=0

Still many miles away from the crater, the Jawa Sand Crawlers made their inexorable advance at an exhilarating speed of nearly twenty-six miles-an-hour!

0=0=0=0


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting on her bed in the pressurised tent she shared with Shran, Katyusha smiled to herself, things were turning out quite well and all was right with the world. Feeling Shran's eyes on her she looked at him sharply.

“What's your problem?” she demanded exposing her fangs as she did so.

“Nothing!” Shran replied quickly as he turned his eyes away from the vampire.

“I hate it when people stare at me while I'm eating,” Katyusha lifted the slave girl's wrist to her mouth, just as she was about to take another mouthful of blood she noticed the girl staring up at her with wide, terrified eyes, “Don't you start,” she sighed heavily, “I'm not going to kill you...”

The slave girl whimpered quietly.

“Whatever...” Katyusha sighed again before resuming her meal.

As she ate she reran the events of the day in her mind. After burning a hole in the door to the pyramid and getting it to open, Ash-Lee, Shran and herself had walked along the passageway until they'd come to another door. Returning to the outside world everyone had got together to decide what they were going to do next. After a lot of discussion, actually it was John the leader Treen that did most of the talking, it was decided to start the exploration of the pyramid tomorrow. In the mean time the Treens would have the slaves put in another airlock so there'd be no repeat of today's events and hopefully with inside and outside pressure equalised the door wouldn't need to be demolished or damaged in any way.

Sure enough the slaves fitted the air lock and almost as soon as the air pressure was equalised the inner door rolled open. It was then that George (the most bookish seeming of the Treens) suggested that they send a couple of slaves through and into the pyramid to make sure that it was safe. On a signal from John two of the Valu warriors grabbed a couple of girls and started to drag them towards the airlock. It was more or less at this point that something really weird happened, Ash-Lee stepped forward and told the warriors to let the slaves go and that she'd go through the airlock to see if anything unpleasant was waiting for them.

Of course this caused no end of argument. The Treens weren't happy because their orders were being disobeyed. This then started a spin-off argument about who the Treens thought they were giving orders in the first place. The Big Brown Alien, Audvak objected to Ash-Lee endangering herself on the grounds that if she was killed or injured he'd have no one to have sex with. Katyusha objected because...well...she was kind of starting to like the odd little Valu woman and didn't want to see her hurt.

However, to cut a long story and a lot of shouting short, while everyone was yelling at each other, Shran shoved the slave girls into the airlock. When they weren't immediately killed by some un-named terror lurking on the other side of the door he let them out again and announced that this part of the pyramid at least was safe. With the cause of the argument removed, everyone calmed down and agreed that the exploration of the pyramid would start first thing in the morning. With this everyone went back to their respective camps and prepared themselves the next day's activities.

Finishing her meal, Katyusha dabbed her lips on a towel before looking down at the now rather pale girl who knelt at her feet. Katyusha wasn't a cruel vampire so she decided to let the girl stay in her tent, plus, she might want a snack during the night. After tossing the girl a spare blanket, Katyusha got herself comfortable and tried to get some sleep. It still felt unnatural to her to be sleeping at night when every instinct she had was telling her she should be out roaming the dark, hunting for her prey. Plus her mind was full of thoughts about Ash-Lee, so sleep eluded her for quite some time.

The Valu woman was odd, she was nothing like any Valu woman, Katyusha had ever met. In fact she seemed more like an Earth girl to Katyusha. First of all, Ash-Lee was 'fun', generally speaking Valu women, especially the warriors, were really no fun at all. Plus there was all the empathy, now Katyusha was the first to admit that she didn't have much in the way of empathy; she'd lost most of that when she'd become a vampire, but, she could remember it and how it used to make her 'feel' for people. On the other hand Ash-Lee definitely had enough empathy for both of them and kept putting herself in danger for other people.

Then there was the smell. Most Valu smelt slightly of cut grass, Katyusha supposed it was because they were green, it wasn't an unpleasant smell in fact it reminded her of home. But, Ash-Lee didn't smell like a normal Valu, in fact she smelt slightly of human and something Katyusha couldn't quite put her finger on...something mechanical perhaps?

Finally, there was Ash-Lee's relationship with the big alien, Audvak, and his penis. It was a well known fact that Valu women had a 'shoot on sight' policy were penis' were concerned. Okay, they kept it under control when they were out in the universe hiring out as mercenaries and the like. But when they were on their own, if you had a penis you better watch out when a Valu war-party hove into view. 

If you listened to the Valu they'd never had males, however, the smart money was on the Valu having shot all their males many, many years ago. Now if a Valu wanted a child she 'Ate the Bean of Life' and got pregnant that way. What the 'Bean of Life' was no one knew for sure and the Valu kept the details a closely guarded secret, but it seemed to work for them. In fact Katyusha often thought that if the Valu would just 'lighten up' a little they could be quite good fun, but they weren't and as a vampire couldn't even eat one because their blood was all wrong, Katyusha had tried and she'd been sick for a week.

Almost without noticing, Katyusha's eyelids became heavy and she drifted of into a deep sleep, her dreams full of a short, green, fun, young woman.

0=0=0=0

Basking in the after glow of some pretty vigorous love making, Ashley smiled contentedly as she snuggled up to Audvak's warm body. At least two thirds of the men she'd slept with hadn't got the after sex cuddling thing down; one had been too wrapped up in himself and then there was the entire turning evil thing to deal with and another... Well, he was what he was and very much a product of his time, no touchy feely cuddling for him, no sir! But on the plus side sex with him had been very...intense. No, make that incredibly intense; Ashley smiled at the memory and had to suppress a giggle. Of all her lovers (and the less said about Adam Parker the better) Reggy had been the most 'loving'. The sex was good, not fantastic you understand, but more than acceptable but he really did seem to care about her...no doubt this was why their relationship had ultimately failed...that and her inability to run fast enough to catch Reggy's chopper before he took off and flew out of her life. But that was all in the past now; now she had Audvak who was not only incredibly good in bed, or in this case the sleeping bag, he also knew how to make a girl feel 'special'. Smiling again, Ashley felt her lover's body shift as he bent over her and kissed her on the cheek.

“Ashley...?” Audvak's voice rumbled in her ear.

“Uh-huh?” Ashley snuggled deeper into Audvak's embrace.

“That vampire girl...”

“Katyusha, yeah, what about her?”

“I don't want you seeing her again.”

For a moment there was silence before Ashley sat up and rounded on her lover.

“What!?” Ashley demanded as she glared down at the alien.

“I said I don't want you seeing her again,” Audvak repeated calmly.

“Just who the heck do you think you are telling me who I can or cannot see!?” Ashley snapped, “You sound just like my mother...she used to try and tell me who my friends should be and I didn't listen to her then and I'm not listening to you now!”

“Look, Ashley...” Audvak sat up to face Ashley, “...she's a vampire and no doubt a bad influence, I really don't think its appropriate for you to be friends with her.”

“Not all vampires are bad,” Ashley pointed out, “and by the way, vampires aren't the only things I kill,” she gave him a very pointed look, “and we're hardly friends I've only known her for a day!”

“All the same...”

“All the same nothing,” Ashley climbed out of the sleeping bag she'd been sharing with Audvak and picked out a spare before unrolling it onto the sandy ground, “I'm my own woman and I'll chose who I'm friends with and you can spend the rest of the night by yourself!”

Lying there, Audvak watched as Ashley climbed into her sleeping bag and rolled over onto her side with her back towards him. That could have gone better, Audvak told himself, he'd not really expected Ashley to react like that. Whatever, he sighed as he tried to make himself comfortable, there was obviously something wrong with her chip, like when he'd first activated her. That time she'd been incredibly bossy and he'd had to shut her down and pull her chip to make some changes to her personality. Now it looked like he'd have to do it all over again or perhaps he'd got a 'bad' set of chips.

0=0=0=0

Many miles away across the cold, dark, Martian desert eight Jawa sand-crawlers stood in a loose circle. Short, robed figures moved between the huge machines as other figures clustered around one of the vehicles which was illuminated by powerful arc-lights. At least a score of figures were working hard to repair a broken track on the machine's running gear. Time was short and the repairs had to be completed before dawn.

The Jawa shamans had calculated that if the off-world interlopers were not stopped, The Great Old One would have been woken from his millennias long slumber. Once awake The Great Old One would stride across the planet destroying all who stood in his path...Great Old One's were known to be pretty testy when woken up without the proper sacrifices and ceremonies. To make matters worse the stars weren't right and that would _really_ annoy the Great Old One. 

Whatever happened, if the Jawas didn't prevent the Great Old One from being woken-up, things would be bad, so the repair crew worked as quickly as they could. But, they could only work so fast and it would be late afternoon or dusk of the next day before the Jawas arrived at the Great Pyramid.

0=0=0=0

Waking before the sun came up, Ashley climbed out of her sleeping bag and slipped her feet into her boots. Sitting on her bed while she zipped up her boots she glanced over to were Audvak still slept; she was still kind of annoyed with him for trying to tell her who she could and couldn't speak to. Standing up she unconsciously touched the field generator on her upper left arm, she felt it vibrate under her fingers a sign that it was working correctly, she could also feel the slight tingling sensation all over her body. The energy field kept her warm and mostly safe from directed energy weapons.

'Shields' that kept out energy beams she was familiar with, she'd sat through enough episodes of Star Trek with her friend Matt to know about those, but ones that kept you warm so you didn't have to wear clothes? That was another thing she was angry with Audvak about; he'd told her that Valu warriors traditionally wore panties, boots and a scowl. The evidence of her own eyes seemed to suggest that they didn't. Sure those body suits the Valu mercenaries were wearing were skin tight, but they did at least cover up all their skin.

'Skin', now there was another thing...she was green. While she had nothing against green people, Ashley rather liked being the normal pale pink colour she'd been for most of her life and what if she got stuck this colour? Red hair was fine on other people but she wasn't sure she wanted to have red hair all the time and... Ashley stopped her internal babble-rant in its tracks before she blew a circuit or had a complete system's failure. Again her mind came to a juddering halt, why had she said, 'circuit' and 'system's failure'? 

On a whim she touched the field generator and switched it off, the tingling sensation stopped immediately and the freezing Martian air touched her skin without first being warmed by her personal energy field. It took a moment for her mind to really register what had happened, or, more importantly, what hadn't happened; she didn't feel cold.

“Odd...” she told herself and switched the field on again, once more the tingling sensation returned, “...very odd,” Ashley told herself before heading across the camp site towards Katyusha's tent.

Reaching the pressurised tent, Ashley stopped as she saw the door open and Katyusha stepped out into the early, morning light.

“Hi!” Katyusha sounded surprised to see Ashley so early, but she quickly recovered.

“Hi y'self,” Ashley replied, “I was wondering...”

“Wondering?” Katyusha appeared to be studying her very closely.

“Yeah...” Ashley continued slowly, she was starting to feel uncomfortable under the vampire's gaze, “...yeah...I was wondering if you'd got a spare jacket I could borrow?”

“Erm...yeah, sure,” Katyusha look Ashley up and down again, “we're about the same size, hold on here I'll get you something...”

Turning, Katyusha climbed back into her tent; Shran was still waking up. Being an Andorian freezing temperatures didn't bother him. They didn't bother her either basically being dead and ambient temperature, but they should be bothering a near naked Valu. But...but Ash-Lee showed no signs of being in distress or even freezing to death...other than her erect nipples of course. Plus, she'd not sensed her approach. Okay, yeah the field generator the girl wore messed with her vampire senses but, Ash-Lee had hers switched off, so she should have been able to sense her approach, but she hadn't. Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind for now, Katyusha collected up her spare jacket and checked the pockets before going back outside and handing it to Ash-Lee.

“Cold?” Katyusha asked as she handed over the jacket and watched Ash-Lee put it on.

“Not as such,” Ashley replied, “I'm just fed up with having everything on display, y'know?”

“Oh,” Katyusha nodded her head, “male trouble, huh?”

“Sort of,” Ashley admitted, “he started to try and tell me who I could talk to and be friends with.”

“Like he didn't want you mixing with vampires,” Katyusha asked, “am I right?” Ashley nodded her head, “Typical male, just coz you let them screw you they think they own you.”

“I thought you only...erm...'did it' with girls?”

“I do,” Katyusha smirked, “but I've lived off Earth for a good ninety years now and I've seen enough inter-sex relationships to know how males think. Personally I think the Valu have got it right, shoot everything with a penis!”

“Yeah, like that's a long term plan,” Ashley laughed lightly.

“It seems to work for them,” Katyusha shrugged, “I'd go live on one of their worlds if I could get enough blood to drink and they were a little more fun.”

“Eww,” Ashley grimaced, “the blood part I mean.”

“Whatever,” again Katyusha shrugged before gesturing to the entrance of the great pyramid, “lets get a good spot for the grand reopening before the crowds turn up.”

0=0=0=0


	11. Chapter 11

By some sort of unspoken agreement, the adventurers met outside the entrance to the pyramid shortly before dawn and waited for the sun to rise. Why they did this no one could articulate, but no one, not even the inhuman Treens, wanted to go into the pyramid before the sun had come up. If asked they would have said it was foolish; they had powerful torches which would have let them start their exploration of the pyramid at any time, day or night, but... But, there was a sense of foreboding that seemed to hang over the group, as if they all knew that some how entering the pyramid before dawn would be wrong.

Seeing her own little group of 'friends' huddled together against the pre-dawn cold, Ashley shrugged under her newly borrowed jacket and told herself she better go over to them and rebuild some bridges. Thanking Katyusha once again for the loan of her jacket, she walked over to join Audvak, Jesdag and Aftab.

“Hi guys,” Ashley called as she walked up to her 'boyfriend' and his friends.

“Ash-Lee...” everyone chorused as the atmosphere got decidedly more chilly.

“So...” Ashley looked up at Audvak and realised that she'd actually missed the big, space-demon even though she'd only been away from him for less than an hour, “...what's going on?”

“We're waiting for the sun to come up,” Jesdag explained.

“Yeah,” Ashley nodded, “I get that,” she frowned, “but why?”

Jesdag shrugged.

“It seemed like the thing to do,” Aftab explained without actually explaining.

“I missed you,” Audvak turned to face Ashley.

“I...missed you too,” Ashley felt a big lump suddenly appear in her throat as her eyes began to burn.

“I'm sorry!” Audvak cried as he picked Ashley up in his big, strong, brown arms and hugged her to his chest.

“I'm sorry too!” Ashley sobbed as she covered Audvak's face with kisses and the tears trickled down her face.

“I'll never try and tell you who you can or can't speak to again,” Audvak reassured her as he put her down as if she was too heavy for him to carry any more (but that's silly, right? Big strong space-demon, tiny little Ashley...right?).

“No you won't,” Ashley agreed as she wiped at her eyes, “d'you think we've got time for a quickie?”

Before Audvak could answer the first rays of the sun struck the top of the pyramid. As the two lovers held each other, the light from the sun raced down the side of the great pyramid until it reached the base of the great stone structure. It was then that Ashley, noticed how the sun shone directly down the passage to the newly installed airlock. For several minutes the corridor's interior was illuminated by natural sunlight which seemed to make the wall paintings and carvings come to life. Shivering with apprehension, she felt evil simply roll from the depths of the pyramid.

“Did anyone else feel that?” Ashley asked nervously.

“No?” Audvak replied, “Feel what?”

“Like that sort of evil wave coming out of the pyramid,” Ashley explained as she pulled her phaser and checked that it was on its highest setting.

“Erm, no,” Aftab was the first to reply, “I did not...”

“Then why are you checking you gun?” Ashley wanted to know.

“Erm...I'm being prepared, right?” Aftab stopped fiddling with his gun and slipped his weapon back into its holster.

“Whatever,” Jesdag spoke up and heaved his weapon into a position from which it could quickly be brought into devastating action, “Ash-Lee is a warrior, I think we should listen to her concerns...even when they don't make much sense.”

“Thank-you...” Ashley nodded to the other space-demon, “...I think.”

“Look,” Aftab pointed to where four, heavily armed Valu mercenaries led the way into the tunnel followed by the four Treens, “lets get moving before they grab all the best treasure.”

The little group of mismatched aliens advanced on the tunnel entrance where they met, Katyusha, Shran and several of the human slave girls. Jesdag leered at the slave girls as he wondered what they looked like under all their cold weather clothing.

“Hi,” Katyusha said as she turned to face the new arrivals.

“Greetings, Katyusha the Vampire,” Audvak rumbled, it was obvious from his tone that he didn't like the vampire.

“Whatever,” Katyusha shrugged off Audvak's evident disapproval of her, “lets get this show on the road before those Treen guys take it into their heads to tell their Valu mercs to stop us from going into the pyramid.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ashley said before leading the group into the interior of the pyramid.

They hadn't got half way down the passageway when they lost the natural light as the sun rose too high in the sky to illuminate anything more than the tunnel entrance. Switching on the torches that hung from their belts the group advanced on the airlock where the Treens and their mercenaries waited for them. As they walked Shran ran some sort of recording device over the pictures, carvings and hieroglyphics on the walls. It all looked very 'Ancient Egyptian' to Ashley, but that was where her knowledge ended. Not for the first time she wished that there was someone there to explain everything. Coming to a halt in front of the Treens and their mercenaries, there was a rapid exchange, that sounded like several hot water heaters were about to boil over, between Katyusha and the Treens.

“Okay, everyone,” Katyusha turned to face the none Treen group, “this is what John 'suggests'...”

“He does does he?” Ashley muttered in a low voice.

“Yeah he does,” Katyusha agreed, “and he commands the mercs so you better take his suggestions as 'orders'.”

“Whatever,” Ashley shrugged.

“Okay...” Katyusha said after waiting to see if anyone else wanted to make a comment, when no one did she started to talk again, “...they're gonna send a couple of slave girls through first. Then if nothing comes out to bite them, the Valu will secure the entrance while the rest of us explore the inside of the pyramid.”

It was all agreed over Ashley's objections to using the slave girls as bait and a couple of terrified girls were called forward and Valu-handled into the airlock. The airlock cycled through its sequence and the two girls stumbled out the other side. Nothing attacked them and the Treen leader reset the airlock and followed the human girls through into the pyramid proper. After casting a glance up at Audvak, Ashley marched into the airlock and waited for everyone else to follow her. The lock was quite big enough to hold everyone even when two of the 'everyone's' were eight foot tall space-demons.

“Okay,” Ashley turned to look at the chamber they'd found themselves in; at the moment it was pretty crowed but that didn't prevent Ashley from seeing how the walls were covered in more hieroglyphics and there were three tunnels leading out of the chamber, “which way do we go?”

Without even gurgling once the Treens headed off down the centre tunnel and were soon lost to view.

“Okay,” Katyusha said, “they're going thatta-way.”

“I think I like that tunnel,” Audvak pointed to the tunnel on the left.

As he was talking, Shran was doing something over by the chamber wall, shining his torch up at the wall it revealed a large concave mirror held at an angle that would suggest it had been placed to reflect the sunlight from the entrance tunnel deeper into the pyramid's interior.

“I'm going this way,” Shran gestured to where his reflected torch beam shone down the tunnel to the right.

The Andorian set off down the tunnel at a brisk walk.

“Hey wait up!” Ashley called after the fast moving alien, she turned to Audvak “I better go with him just in case.”

“Perhaps you should,” Audvak agreed unexpectedly, “there's more chance of two parties finding treasure.”

“Got it,” Ashley nodded, “we'll meet back here okay?”

“Not a problem,” Audvak replied as he led the space-demon party towards the tunnel.

“You coming with?” Ashley asked Katyusha, by now the beam from Shran's torch was a small spec of light in the darkness of the tunnel.

“Might as well,” Katyusha shrugged before following Ashley in her pursuit of the Andorian scholar.

0=0=0=0

Trotting along the tunnel, Ashley and Katyusha quickly caught up with Shran. He'd stopped at a ninety degree corner and was examining another mirror, this one had been fixed so it would reflect light even further into the pyramid or back to the entrance chamber.

“This is interesting,” Shran explained in the same tone of voice that Ashley’s teachers had used when they were lecturing Ashley on how to be Ashley, “its almost as if whoever designed this,” he gestured to the mirror, “was using the early dawn sunlight as some sort of signal.”

“Totally,” Katyusha agreed, “but like who were they signalling?”

“Or what,” Ashley added in a quiet voice.

“Don't look so worried,” Shran laughed, “anything we find in this pyramid will have been dead for tens of thousands of years.”

“I've been dead for a hundred years and I'm still kicking,” Katyusha pointed out darkly.

“Yeah and I've been killed a couple of times, but people keep brining me back to life,” Ashley added.

“How?” Katyusha asked, “You're not undead are you?”

“Hi-tech medical stuff,” Ashley explained.

“Yeah, okay...” Katyusha suddenly realised why Ash-Lee felt so odd to her and why she couldn't sense her life force; it was said that people who were brought back from the dead using powerful technology didn't come back 'right', like they weren't fully human or in Ash-Lee's case Valuian.

“Technology...” Shran chuckled, “...nothing but smoke and mirrors...talking of mirrors,” he shone his light on the mirror and it reflected the beam down the corridor where it bounced off yet another mirror and disappeared around a corner, “I think we're supposed to go this way.”

Heading off along the passage way, Shran moved inexorably towards the next mirror. After glancing at each other and shrugging, Ashley and Katyusha followed in his wake.

“I think its a universal constant,” Ashley announced, proud that she'd remembered and used the phrase correctly.

“What's that?”

“That scholar-like people all sound the same.”

“They do? How do you know this obviously important piece of information.”

“I had a teacher who sounded just like Shran,” Ashley explained.

“What I want to know is,” Katyusha pointed out, “is why did whoever built these tunnels put so many corners in them?”

“Huh?” Ashley frowned.

“Like they coulda just totally built one long straight tunnel to let the light in.”

“Yeah I see,” Ashley thought for a moment trying to come up with an explanation, “maybe they were trying to show how clever they were at building tunnels and mirrors.”

There was a quiet 'Ah-ha!” from up ahead as Shran disappeared around another corner.

“Come-on, Ash-Lee,” Katyusha said as she increased her pace, “we better catch him before he gets himself eaten and killed or something.”

Following Shran, Ashley and Katyusha went around several more corners, each with its own mirror, until they came out into a large chamber deep inside the pyramid.

“Oh my god.…!” Ashley gasped as she stood in wonder just inside the chamber.

To say that the chamber was big would be like saying that the universe was quite large or roomy. The beam from Ashley's torch didn't even reach the roof of the chamber and only just illuminated the far wall.

“I'm beginning to remember all those stories of 'Great Old Ones' and how sleeping great old ones should be left to stay sleeping,” Katyusha whispered.

“I say...!” Shran appeared out of the dark unexpectedly.

“AAAGH!” screamed the two woman as they almost had heart attacks, if either of them had functioning hearts to attack.

“Don't _do_ that!” Katyusha added.

“Do what?” Shran asked truly puzzled.

“That!” Katyusha slapped Shran's arm causing him to frown and rub at the livid palm-print on his arm.

“Oww!” Shran jumped away from the vamp but quickly recovered himself, “Come and see what I've found.”

“What have you found?” Ashley asked warily.

“Come and see!” Shran repeated as he headed off into the dark.

“Whatever,” Ashley and Katyusha chorused as they followed the scholar into the dark.

In what felt like the centre of the vast chamber stood a large, gold coloured object. It had to be at least three feet high and maybe twenty feet across. It was round and covered in more hieroglyphics, but most worrying of all was that the lid was open. It sort of reminded Ashley of a large round jewellery box that someone had left open.

“I think its some sort of sarcophagus,” Shran announced as he peered into the sarcophagus' interior.

“Normally,” Ashley said as she came to join Shran in his inspection of the sarcophagus' interior, “things in sarcophagus' don't just get up and leave.”

“Nonsense,” Shran scoffed at Ashley's concerns, “the chances are that nothing was ever put in here.” the Andorian went on to explain, “This chamber was obviously built for some important and powerful being, but they either never died or their remains never got here for some reason.”

“Never died?” Ashley and Katyusha repeated as they reached for their weapons.

“Oh, put away your weapons and stop being foolish,” Shran laughed, “nothing here can harm us.”

While this might be true of Ashley and Katyusha, neither of whom was truly alive, those who were had better watch out!

0=0=0=0

In another part of the pyramid, Aftab had wondered away from Audvak and Jesdag and was looking for treasure. They'd followed the mostly straight tunnel as it went deeper and deeper down under the pyramid. Eventually they'd come to a large hexagonal chamber with six tunnels leading off it. One tunnel led back to the surface while the other five went off a various angels either higher or deeper into the pyramid.

Leaving Audvak and Jesdag to argue over which tunnel to take, Aftab wandered off a few paces down one of the tunnels. As he walked he studied the pictographs that appeared to cover every spare inch of wall space. Here and there he came to a carved stone image of some fantastic lifeform. Some of these lifeforms he recognised as representing some of the races that visited Mars to buy slaves, others were completely unknown to him.

Standing in front of one particular representation of some fantastic creature, Aftab noticed the gleam of gold coming from beneath the eons of dust that had settled on the image. Pulling his knife from it sheath he started to work the blade between the gold and the surrounding stone work. There was a scraping sound as his blade slipped between the gold and the stone of the wall followed by the soft thump of the piece of gold hitting the sand covered floor. Picking up the object, Aftab rubbed at the accumulated grim of millennia to discover a solid gold representation of a starship, it was about two inches long and one and a half wide.

Smiling, he slipped the blade of his knife under another protuberance from the wall to discover it was another little, gold, starship. Laughing he continued to remove starships until he had about a dozen lying at his feet. Slipping his knife back into its sheath he was just about to bend down and collect his loot when tentacles as strong as the strongest steel cables wrapped around his wrists and ankles preventing him from moving. Another wrapped around his mouth stopping him from crying out for help as he was dragged off into the darkness.

0=0=0=0


	12. Chapter 12

“Aftab?” Jesdag called, receiving no reply he called again only louder, “AFTAB!?” he turned to look at his companion, “Did you see where he went?”

“No,” Audvak shook his head, “I thought he was over there,” he pointed to a spot over by the tunnel that they'd entered the chamber by, “maybe he's wandered off.”

“Well obviously seeing he's not here,” Jesdag swung his flashlight left and right hoping to spot the missing Aftab, however he was no where to be seen, “AFTAB!” he called again before turning to Audvak and asking, “perhaps he fell and hurt himself.”

“More likely he found some treasure and he's helping himself without telling us about it,” Audvak explained.

“Look!” Jesdag cried and pointed, “Tracks...and you're probably right...about him finding treasure that is...”

The two space-demons crossed the chamber to examine the tracks.

“They certainly look like Aftab's,” Audvak pointed out.

“No one else has feet _that_ big,” Jesdag pointed out, “question...”

“What?”

“Ash-Lee...”

“What about her?” Audvak replied as the two space-demons followed the tracks across the chamber to the mouth of a tunnel.

“You screwed the real Ash-Lee...”

“Ash-Lee _is_ real,” Audvak pointed out.

“Okay then, you screwed the original Ash-Lee right?”

“Yes.”

“What was it like?”

“Best sex I've ever had,” Audvak smirked as he looked down the tunnel, “hey I think I see a light,” he pointed and called out again, “AFTAB!”

Still there was no answer.

“Perhaps he dropped his torch,” Jesdag suggested.

“I suppose we better go see...” Audvak pulled his ray-gun and started to advance down the tunnel with Jesdag right behind him, “...so why are you so interested in what the original Ash-Lee was like in the sack?”

“Oh, curious is all,” Jesdag replied with a shrug, “and I was thinking of buying one of those slave girls and keeping her as a pet.”

“You could do worse,” Audvak agreed, “but remember you'll have to feed her take her for walks and buy her clothes and stuff...”

“Take her for walks?” Jesdag asked.

“Something like that,” Audvak nodded, “you wouldn't be able to just switch her off, she'd not be a machine and I've discovered that both the 'live' and android versions of Ash-Lee work better if you're kind and considerate to them...”

“Like one of our females?” announced Jesdag; they were now standing over the spot where Aftab's torch lay on the sandy floor of the tunnel, he bent and picked it up.

“Look,” Audvak pointed a little further along the tunnel, “drag marks!”

0=0=0=0

Walking around the sarcophagus, Ashley could feel all her senses tingle with danger signals, some thing bad was on the loose and she needed to do something about it. Coming to the point where the lid of the sarcophagus was hinged she knelt down to study the floor of the chamber. The area around the sarcophagus was almost clear of sand and revealed a floor made of tightly fitted stone blocks. However, the area under where the lid stood upright was covered in a layer of sand and dust.

“Hey guys,” Ashley called, “come and look at this...”

“What?” Shran asked as he approached.

“Look,” Ashley pointed to the pile of dusty sand under the lid, “looks like the lid opened recently.”

“Why?” Shran glanced at the dust and was about to walk away again to continue recording the hieroglyphics on the chamber walls.

“Look!” Ashley caught hold of Shran's arm and held him in place, “That lid opened and something got out and it happened recently.”

“Nonsense,” Shran laughed, “that sand could have been there for millennia!” 

“Like these tracks I suppose,” Katyusha called from a few yards away.

“Tracks!?” Ashley and Shran chorused.

Both Ashley and Shran went over to where Katyusha stood and pointed at the ground where the lightly sanded area ended.

“What the...” Shran bent and shone his flashlight on the tracks so he could get a better look.

“So,” Ashley stood beside Shran and studied the tracks; the only thing she could think that made them was some sort of octopus, “something crawled out of the sarcophagus thing and made its way off that way...”

Peering into the dark, even Ashley's enhanced eyes couldn't make out the wall of the chamber let alone where the undead octopus had gone. 

“I totally don't like this,” Katyusha said with a note of uncharacteristic fear in her voice, “I wanna go home!”

“What!?” Ashley turned to look at the vampire, “That's not very 'creature of the night' of you.”

“I know,” Katyusha replied, “but ever since we've been inside the pyramid I've had this terrible feeling of foreboding...”

“Me too,” Shran admitted, “I wish I'd brought a gun now...”

“Whatever...” Ashley shrugged, “...but we've got to go find whatever made those tracks.”

“WHY!?!?” Katyusha and Shran cried out.

“Erm...” Ashley was a little taken aback by her fellow adventurer's reaction, “...because its what people like us do...”

Ashley would have said more but the faint sounds of energy weapons being fired floated to her ears from out of the dark.

0=0=0=0

“Looks like someone...”

“Or something,” Audvak interrupted.

“Grabbed him and dragged him off,” Jesdag completed his assessment of the situation.

“Well, duh,” Audvak mocked, “I suppose we should go look for him.”

“Why?” Jesdag asked, “He'd not bother looking for us.”

“I know but we're better than that,” Audvak pointed out.

“Speak for yourself,” Jesdag muttered under his breath, “I think Ash-Lee's rubbing off on you...”

“Ash-Lee has no need to 'rub off' on anything, now, come on,” Audvak gestured with his ray-gun and strode off purposely down the tunnel.

“Hold on!” Jesdag called as he scurried off after his friend, catching up with Audvak he asked, “is the android Ash-Lee as good as the flesh and blood Ash-Lee?”

“In what way?”

“Sex, of course.”

“About the same,” Audvak replied, “but the flesh and blood Ash-Lee had a lot of hang-ups about sex which the android Ash-Lee doesn't have.”

“You think all human females are like that?” 

“Well the local ones do have this no males thing, only having sex with other females you'll have to deal with,” Audvak pointed out, “but I expect any slave you buy will be too grateful to you for that to worry them for too long...” Audvak halted and turned to look his friend directly in the eye, “...look...be kind and remember the more she gets out of sex the better it is for you...now lets get going.”

The two space-demons walked on for another twenty-five paces or so before their torch beams fell on a body lying on the floor of the tunnel.

“Aftab?” Audvak called not really expecting to get an answer, clutching his gun more tightly he advanced on the body.

“Aftab!” Jesdag gasped as he got close enough to the dead alien to see that he was...well...dead, “I wonder what killed him.”

Audvak knelt down beside the body and rolled it over onto its back.

“Could be something to do with that,” Audvak pointed to the deep wound in Aftab's chest near his heart.

“Oh mijfid!” Jesdag cursed, “Look whatever did it broke his ribs to get to his heart!”

“Not an easy thing to do,” Audvak admitted as he sat back on his heels, “do you notice anything else odd?”

“Other than a strong, powerful alien lying dead on the floor?” Jesdag asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well no,” Jesdag admitted.

“Blood,” Audvak said laconically.

“Blood?”

“There isn't any...”

“Oh...” Jesdag continued to stare at the body until some thing distracted him, “...listen...what's that?”

“Weapon's fire...” Audvak replied.

0=0=0=0

The Treens had found the treasure chamber within half-an-hour of entering the pyramid. There in a circular room about fifty yards across and maybe ten high they'd found precious metals and crystals just lying around in piles that almost reached the ceiling. Quickly, 'John', the leader Treen had sent, 'George' back for the human slaves to start ferrying the loot to the surface. Standing watching the slaves fill sacks with precious metals and crystals he smiled to himself. All this wealth would allow him to buy arms and supporters so he could lead the revolution against the Mekon, the so-called leader of the Treen race.

Off behind a pile of precious crystals that was taller than himself, 'Ringo' examined a particularly large red crystal as he oversaw the work of half-a-dozen slaves who were busy filling sacks with jewels. He was just thinking that John wouldn't miss this crystal if it happened to disappear into his own pack, when a cry of alarm from one of the slaves made him look up. For a moment, Ringo couldn't work out what had happened. Then it struck him, a moment before there had been six slaves now there were only five and what was more they'd stopped working.

“Work!” Ringo ordered using one of the few words of the slave language he knew; reluctantly the slaves continued filling the sacks that lay on the floor next to the pile of crystals.

Putting down his red crystal, Ringo took the plasma rifle from off his shoulder and walked a little way away from where the remaining slaves worked. The stupid human must be trying to escape, Ringo told himself. Perhaps it had got wind of the plan to leave them to die once all the treasure was collected. The plan had been to use the transport speeder that had carried the slaves to carry away the treasure. As there would be no room for the slaves they'd be left to die. Perhaps this slave thought it could get away.

Holding his plasma rifle at the ready, Ringo moved stealthily around a large stack of gold bars, it was then he discovered what had happened to the slave. Gasping in surprise at what he saw, Ringo almost dropped his rifle. The slave was held in the tentacles of some loathsome creature that was lapping the slave's blood from a large wound in its chest. More by instinct than from any reasoned thought, Ringo fired his plasma rifle.

A burst of six, white hot plasma pulses reached out to the monster and simply bounced off its smooth, leather-like skin. Screaming in a mixture of fear and anger, Ringo fired again, the plasma bolts having no more effect than his first volley. The only effect on the monster was to make it drop the slave and advance on the new threat with surprising speed. Crying out in fear, Ringo dropped his rifle and turned to run only to be tripped by a tentacle that lashed out and caught him around the ankles.

Struggling against the pull of the monster's tentacles, Ringo found himself being drawn towards the monster's wickedly sharp looking beak. As he battled against the pull of the tentacles he found himself wrapped in more and more tentacles until he couldn't move. He was now directly below the monster wrapped in about half its available tentacles. Only able to scream in fear and horror, Ringo felt the tentacles tighten around him until he had no breath left to scream and felt his ribs start to bend and break. With a sickening 'crunch' Ringo died in the unbreakable embrace of the unknown terror.

0=0=0=0

Hearing the sound of a plasma rifle being fired, John looked up and around, there appeared to be no immediate threat to explain the weapon's fire, but, he could only see Paul and George; Ringo was no where to be seen. Picking up his own rifle he moved towards his confederates.

“Work! Harder! Faster!” he told the slaves as he ran over to where Paul and George stood.

“It came from over there,” Paul pointed to a large stack of gold bars over by the chamber wall.

“Advance with me,” John ordered, “shoot anything non-Treen on sight!”

“Even the slaves?” George asked.

“Yes even them,” John nodded, “this might be the start of a slave rebellion.”

“I always said we should have beaten them more often,” Paul pointed out.

“Indeed,” John agreed, “you might be right, now follow me...”

The three Treens hadn't gone more than a few paces before the monster showed itself. As soon as the Treens had a target they opened fire with commendable speed and accuracy. However, their plasma bolts had as little effect as Ringo's. The brilliantly bright bolts of superheated matter simply bounced off the monster's hide hardly even leaving a scorch mark. Of course as soon as the shooting began the slaves started to scream and run for their lives believing that their owners were killing them.

Some of the slaves were in fact cut down by ricocheting plasma bolts, some ran into the embrace of the monster's tentacles and had the life crushed out of them in an instant. The Treens, not knowing the meaning of fear...or compassion...or love, or indeed most of the words describing the emotions that a human took for granted, stood their ground until the monster was almost on top of them. Eventually it dawned on them that they were achieving nothing so they turned on their heels and joined the surviving slaves in their attempts to escape the writhing horror of the monster's tentacles.

Pushing several slaves out of his way in his efforts to escape, Paul cried out in alarm as a tentacle wrapped around his neck, lifted him off his feet and smashed his head against the ceiling. John had almost reached the supposed safety of a tunnel entrance when a tentacle pushed him in the small of the back and he ran head first into the wall next to the tunnel. He lay with his brains spilling out of his smashed skull never to move again.

George was the last Treen to die, after a short chase the monster had trapped him up against the wall of the chamber. His escape routes cut off by writhing tentacles, George suddenly worked out the meaning of fear as three tentacles reached out towards him. He screamed as the monster lifted him up and brought him struggling weakly towards its mouth. George's screams of fear turned to shrieks of pain as the monster impaled him on its beak and started to drink his blood.

0=0=0=0

The long, despairing scream faded away to nothing and silence once again descended on the tunnel were Audvak and Jesdag stood.

“That sounds bad,” Audvak observed.

“I think I preferred it when there was all that shooting and shouting,” Jesdag caught the look Audvak was giving him, “well...almost...”

“You know, I think its time to leave,” Audvak announced, “screw the treasure...”

“I think I'll stick with screwing slave girls,” Jesdag said as he followed Audvak back towards the chamber, “who needs treasure anyway?”

0=0=0=0

“I vote we go see what's going on,” Ashley raised her hand.

“Normally I'd agree,” Shran kept his hand resolutely down, “but as I've pointed out I'm not armed.”

“Hey,” Ashley gestured to the big book Shran was carrying, “didn't someone say that knowledge is the best weapon?”

“If they did,” Shran pointed out, “then they must have been complete idiots, personally I put my faith in a fully charged phaser!”

“What about you, Katyusha?” Ashley turned to the vampire.

“I vote we go for help,” she glanced from Shran and back to Ashley, “remember there's a dozen Valu mercs with all sorts of nasty, dangerous weapons outside, I vote we let them deal with what-ever's out there.”

“What if whatever it is kills all the slave girls,” Ashley said quietly, “then your foods gone.”

“Damn!” Katyusha sighed heavily, “Okay, lets go look...but I'm doing this out of hunger not because I like the Treens.”

“Well,” Ashley shrugged, “at least you're honest...okay guys, lets go!”

0=0=0=0


	13. Chapter 13

Guarding the airlock was boring duty, but the Treens had paid well for the unit's services, so Two-of-Twelve told herself to live with it. The Treens were males and as such oppressors of females and she'd much rather shoot them, but the money she was earning now meant that when she got home she'd be able to eat 'The Bean of Life' and produce a daughter of her own. It made her smile to think that the stupid, arrogant, savage, males were in some small way contributing to their eventual, inevitable and bloody destruction.

Signalling to Five-of-Twelve to open the airlock, Two watched as another batch of human females moved through the airlock each staggering under the weight of treasure that the Treens had looted from the depths of the pyramid. Shaking her head in despair, Two wished she could free the human women. So, they weren't Valu and were a funny shade of pinky-white or light brown, but they were still females and as such should not have to labour under the lash of the vile, unworthy, evil males.

The thought of evil males brought the Valu race-traitor who worked with the Berghefgee to Two's mind. A small charitable part of Two's mind suggested that maybe this Ash-Lee person was somehow trying to subvert Berghefgee culture and liberate all Berghefgee females from the domination of the male yoke. However, a much larger part of her mind was telling her that this 'Ash-Lee' had sold herself to be the sexual play-thing of a loathsome male; Two felt her trigger finger itch at the mere thought of what this Ash-Lee did when she was alone with her 'Master'.

There was another thing, this many times cursed race-traitor, had given herself a name (or more likely the males had forced her to take a name). The human slaves had a bewildering number of names that they used between themselves and Two had often wondered what it would be like to have a name instead of a numerical designation.

How the human slaves had passed through the airlock, like they'd been doing all morning, Two was about to tell Five to cycle the lock through to accept the next group of slaves to appear from the pyramid's interior, when she decided to go through the lock and into the pyramid proper. Entering the lock she signalled Five to close the outer door and open the inner. Only a moment later she was standing with Five, Eight-of-Twelve was standing a little further away guarding the entrance to the tunnel down which the Treens had disappeared several hours ago.

“All in order?” Two asked as she removed her breathing mask, the air pressure was greater in the pyramid than outside.

“All in order, Sister,” Five confirmed, “these poor human women,” Five gestured to a slave who was stumbling under the weight of a sack containing several bars of gold, “have been moving treasure all morning without a break, I wish there was something we could do for them.”

“As do I,” Two agreed with a nod; she stepped forward and caught the arm of the slave before she fell, “but we're contracted to these Treen scum so we can't just kill them and liberate their slaves.”

“You know no one's ever seen a Treen female or baby,” Five said conversationally, “and there's persistent rumours that all Treens are clones.”

“Where are you going with this?” Two wanted to know.

“Well, I was wondering if they even _have_ a penis'?”

“Nothing that arrogant couldn't have a penis,” Two said darkly, “but we still can't shoot them on the off chance that they have!”

“But when the contract is over?” Five asked hopefully.

“Sorry, but we won't be able to shoot them then either.”

“Why not!?”

“Because,” Two sighed sadly, “the contract stipulates that we have to leave the planet before the contract actually runs out...”

“Bloody lawyers,” Five muttered angrily.

“I know how you feel...” Two was about to suggest shooting the Berghefgee males as they had no contract with them when the sound of energy weapons being discharged came to her ears, “...hear that?”

Five nodded her head and turned to look at the tunnel where Eight was now covering the tunnel exit with her phaser.

“Perhaps that Ash-Lee creature isn't a race-traitor after all and she's killing all the males for us!”

0=0=0=0

Heading towards the tunnel entrance from which the sounds of death and destruction had emanated, Ashley and her friends were brought up short by a strange slithering, scraping sound.

“What's that?” Ashley wanted to know as her little party came to a halt and stared into the darkness.

“I don't know,” Shran whispered, “and I suggest that we don't wait here to find out.”

The slithering, scraping sound was definitely getting closer.

“Because...” Ashley was really beginning to think that maybe finding out what was making the noise could wait until another day, “...because...erm...I know! Because its the right thing to do!”

Katyusha and Shran looked at her as if she was insane.

“But it _is_...” Ashley replied a little crestfallen.

The appearance of the monster brought any further discussion to a premature halt as the creature burst from the tunnel mouth.

“AAAGH!” screamed, Ashley, Katyusha and Shran as they backed away from the hideous apparition that had appeared; they grabbed for their weapons.

The monster's body had to be the size of the body of an Indian elephant. The 'head' end, the creature had no neck, held two, large, luminous eyes that regarded our heroes coldly. Between the eyes was a great, wicked looking beak from which the monster drooled. The beast's skin looked like waxed leather which pulsed as the vile thing breathed making a sound like an asthmatic steam engine. The entire loathsome, brutish, behemoth rose up on a couple-of-dozen tentacles that issued forth from the creature's underside. Some of the tentacles held the creature up while others writhed obscenely as they reached for its intended targets.

“KILL IT!” Katyusha and Ashley cried in chorus as they snatched their weapons from their holsters and aimed at the monster.

At an unspoken word of command both women pressed down on the firing studs of their phasers. Bright beams of destructive energy leapt from the emitters of their weapons to connect the unearthly horror to their guns. The creature made a rather pathetic squeal as the energy beams struck home but other than making the rather effeminate sound the beams appeared to be having little effect.

“Oh feck!” Ashley cried as she let up on her firing stud, “AGAIN!”

Once more Ashley and Katyusha fired, their phaser beams lancing towards the beast only to dissipate ineffectually against its hide.

“Screw this,” Ashley put away her phaser and drew her sabre, “I'm going hand to hand...or at least hand to tentacle!”

“Wait!” Katyusha cried as she swapped weapons and drew her slug thrower, “Let's see how it likes this!”

Firing twice, Katyusha watched as her slugs hit the monster right between the eyes. The slugs flattened themselves against the creature's hide before trying to burrow their way through its skin and into its brain. Unfortunately the creature's hide proved to much for the slugs. They chewed on the monster's hide for a while until a long, slimy tongue issued forth from the creature's mouth, caught the slugs and drew them into its mouth. There was a 'crunching' sound as the monster bit down on the slugs before swallowing them.

“Feck!” cursed Katyusha as she and her friends watched the beast's slow but steady advance.

“May I make a suggestion?” Shran asked as he clutched his book to his chest.

“Uh-huh,” Ashley replied as she backed away from the creature.

“RUN AWAY!” Shran cried as he turned around and headed at high speed for a tunnel mouth. 

“AAAAGH!” Ashley and Katyusha screamed once more as they set off in pursuit of the fast moving Andorian.

Not to be out done the monster uttered a sort of kittenish meow as it set off at a surprisingly high turn of speed in pursuit of it's fleeing lunch.

“Does anyone know where this tunnel leads?” Ashley demanded; she'd caught up with Shran and was now holding him by the back of his jacket and pulling him along so he could keep up with the super-humans.

“Away from that thing!” not needing to breath, Katyusha didn't gasp.

“If I might venture an opinion,” Shran announced (not having to actually run as Ashley was in fact holding him above the tunnel floor and was doing all the running for both of them) he didn't sound in the least out of breath.

“Go on...” Katyusha and Ashley said together.

“It's only a wild guess you understand, but...”

“But...?” Ashley said as she wondered why people like Shran just couldn't get to the point straight away.

“..but...I'm thinking that thing is The Great Old One!”

“The Great Old One!?” Ashley and Katyusha demanded as they ran faster as the monster gained on them a little.

“Well,” Shran continued with his explanation, “it does bare a striking resemblance to an 'Old Martian'.”

“You know,” Ashley replied as they headed around a corner in the tunnel, “I'll feel so much better knowing that while its eating me!”

“It's all right for you,” Katyusha sulked, “when I die I'll just turn to dust and no one will ever find my remains.”

“My heart bleeds,” Ashley told her (it didn't), “hey what's this? A dead end!”

The little group of fleeing friends found themselves in a chamber where the only exit was the entrance they'd just come through.

“Damn-it,” Ashley tossed Shran aside and drew her sabre preparing to die fighting to the last.

“Looks like we're gonna find out why they're called _dead_ ends,” Katyusha came to stand next to Ashley as she pulled a couple of knives from her belt and her face changed.

“Wait!” Shran called from the far end of the chamber.

“Not for too long I hope!” Ashley called back, the monster would be here in seconds.

“Come quickly,” Shran cried, “I've found a secret door!”

“Thank the god for secret doors,” Ashley heaved a sigh of relief as she and Katyusha turned to follow the sound of Shran's voice.

A secret door opened as Shran touched some crystals set into the chamber's wall, the adventurers stepped inside a rather smaller chamber and turned, waiting for something to happen.

“This is good,” Katyusha said with a little sarcasm, “we've gone from a big room to a small room.”

“Whatever,” Ashley frowned, “you know what this feels like to me?”

“Do tell,” Katyusha muttered as she eyed Ashley neck and wondered if it she had time for just one last meal, okay Valu blood didn't taste good and had made her sick, but it _was_ blood.

“This feels like an elevator!” Ashley announced as the first of the monster's tentacles appeared from around the tunnel's mouth.

“A what?” Katyusha asked having come from a village where elevators were few and far between.

“Wait!” Ashley eyed either side of the door, seeing what she was looking for she stepped forward, and pressed a concealed button.

There was a high-pitched 'ting' and the doors slid closed, moments later the lift lurched into motion.

“Going down,” Shran announced ominously.

0=0=0=0

Denied its snack, The Great Old One turned and retraced its tentacles back the way it had come. As it moved its bulk the only thing on its mind was...that there had to be something good to eat around here somewhere!

0=0=0=0

“Admit it, we're lost,” Jesdag said as he and Audvak wandered aimlessly down the tunnel, “and I'm never going to see that cute little human girl again...”

“Hmm, what?” Audvak replied distractingly as he tried to make sense of the map in his hand.

“Did I say I was thinking of buying her?”

“Yes you did,” Audvak glanced at his brother Berghefgee, “several times.”

“I wonder...” Jesdag said as he followed Audvak.

“What do you wonder?” Audvak might not like to admit it, but Jesdag had a point, they were lost; what should have been a short walk to the surface had turned into a very long walk in the dark.

“I was thinking couldn't we set up some sort of import-export business?”

“Importing and exporting what to where?”

“We could import human girls to Berghefgee,” Jesdag grinned, “we could make a fortune...if we ever get out of here that is.”

“Hmm,” Audvak ruminated, “the idea has merit. Sell them as companions to fellow spacefarers you mean?”

“Something like that,” Jesdag was actually thinking of something on a much grander scale.

“Of course we'd have to be careful not to import too many,” Audvak explained.

“True we wouldn't want the unit-price to get too low,” Jesdag agreed.

“No,” Audvak shook his head, “what I mean is, we don't want too many of them on our planet in case they rebel and kill us all in our sleep!”

“They'd never do that!” Jesdag laughed, “They're so cute and little, they're hardly a threat to us!”

“So you say,” Audvak replied darkly; he'd seen humans on Earth and yes, they could be a threat he'd seen what they could do when they fought each other; the Stars only knew what they'd do to non-human creatures, scratch the surface of a human and you found a vicious and efficient killer.

“Of course it doesn't matter whether they're a threat to us unless we get out of here,” Jesdag pointed out pointedly.

“I think the way out's down here...” Audvak turned to go down another tunnel only to be confronted by two luminous eyes, a big sharp looking beak and a lot of waving tentacles.

“Perhaps this _thing_ knows the way out!” Jesdag cried as he and Audvak drew their clever-like swords.

0=0=0=0

With another 'ting' the lift lurched to a halt and the doors slid open.

“About time,” Katyusha announced, “I thought it'd never stop!”

“Me too,” Ashley replied as she looked cautiously out of the lift into what felt like a _very_ large space, “at least there's light down here.”

“Yes there is,” Shran advanced on the exit, “how odd...”

“My old teacher used to say, 'how odd' like that just before something totally terrible happened,” Ashley observed as she followed Shran out through the door.

Finding herself on a large, concrete, platform built out from the side of a cliff, Ashley looked around in wonder. The cavern she and her friends were in was vast, it was so big that it gave them the impression of being outside but they weren't. In the dusk-like light they could see the rock ceiling hundreds of feet above them. They could also see huge pieces of incomprehensible machinery hanging from the roof. What they were looking at appeared to be massive metal cylinders held in enormous clamps that seemed to be designed to lower them into...into what?

“Come see this...” Shran whispered as he stood by the railing that prevented you from falling into the depths below.

Joining the blue man the two women looked down into the abyss to see ice, billions and billions of tons of ice stretching away as far as the eye could see.

“Wow...” Ashley said quietly, “...that looks like one _big_ ice-rink and I totally didn't bring my skates!”

“This is all very interesting,” Katyusha whispered, “but how does it help us get outta here?”

“At least we're not dead,” Ashley pointed out.

“I am,” Katyusha replied.

“Whatever,” Ashley replied with a shrug.

“Likihig!” Shran cried unexpectedly.

“Huh?” Ashley looked at the Andorian as if he'd turned pink.

“Say what?” Katyusha added, equally confused.

“Likihig is an Andorian expression of surprise and realisation,” Shran explained.

“Wow, we totally learn something new every day,” Katyusha sighed sarcasticly.

“I know what this is,” Shran smiled like a cat who'd not only eaten half-a-dozen canaries but had also found himself locked in the dairy, “I never knew any one had actually built one but...”

“But?” Ashley and Katyusha asked expectantly.

0=0=0=0


	14. Chapter 14

“So what are you saying here, Shran?” Ashley asked.

“Yeah,” Katyusha spoke up in agreement with Ashley, “what _are_ you saying, Shran?”

“Look,” Shran signed heavily as he resigned himself to having to explain everything again, “basically...this is one huge, great, big, atmosphere making machine.”

This explanation was met by blank looks from both Ashley and Katyusha.

“Look,” once again Shran sighed heavily, “you see those things,” he pointed up at the massive rods suspended above the ice, “well, they get heated up to...lets say...one million degrees scone...

“Scone?” Ashley interrupted with a frown.

“Its a Andorian measurement of temperature,” Shran explained, “lets just say its _very_ hot...”

“Okay, lets say that,” Ashley agreed while Katyusha just looked totally mystified, “and...?”

“Then they get plunged into the ice which immediately turns into superheated steam which then gets turned into oxygen and hydrogen,” Shran continued with his explanation, “I assume that the Ancients that built this machine built vents that would allow the resulting gas to reach the surface and...”

“Whoa,” Ashley held up her hand in a 'halt' gesture, “lets just totally back up there a minute...”

“Yes...?” the exasperation in Shran's voice was clearly audible to anyone who wasn't called Ashley.

“You say that the water gets turned into oxygen and hydrogen, right?”

“Correct,” Shran nodded his head.

“Like, I know I totally only did high school science an' such,” Ashley frowned, “but aren't oxygen and hydrogen highly flammable? Wouldn't they kinda explode with all the heat going on?”

“Well yes,” Shran agreed, “I think you've spotted the major flaw in the Ancient's plan, well done Ash-Lee; it's probably why they didn't switch it on...”

0=0=0=0

Having grown bored with Shran and Ashley talking about things she didn't understand (she was basically just a poorly educated village girl at heart), Katyusha had wandered off in search of something more interesting or valuable. Walking across the platform where everyone had been standing she noticed a sort of arch leading to a cave that no one except herself had noticed so far. Turning to call to Shran and Ashley she saw that they were still in deep discussion and decided not to interrupt. Walking over to the archway she cautiously stuck her head around the corner, she didn't want to be grabbed by another of those big tentacle monster things. Sighing in relief as no monsters presented themselves, Katyusha walked on into the cave.

Giving a little startled cry of alarm as the lights came on, Katyusha found herself in what most people would describe as a control room. To Katyusha, who knew little about technology in anything more than a 'black box' way, it looked like a room with a lot of flashing lights and weirdly shaped chairs.

“Hey guys,” she called quietly as she walked slowly over to a pedestal in the centre of the room, “come an' look at this...”

Of course no one came, if they had they might have been able to prevent the terrible chain reaction that the vampire was about to set in motion. Walking over to the pedestal, Katyusha saw that set into the top was a dome shape like half a large ball. Engraved into the top of the 'ball' was the shape of a three fingered hand. The engraving called silently to her to place her own hand over it, which after a few moments hesitation she did. When nothing happened, Katyusha exerted a little vampire strength and the entire ball shape sank a couple of inches into the top of the pedestal. Taking her hand away, Katyusha stood back, nothing appeared to have changed, at least not at first, it took almost an entire minute for all the lights on the control panels to start flashing redly.

“Oh! Pretty!” Katyusha giggled, she liked red.

0=0=0=0

The deep rumbling sound grew in volume until it couldn't be ignored.

“What's that noise?” Ashley asked; she looked at Shran to see beads of sweat start to role down his face.

“Is it me or is it getting hot in here?” Shran asked as he looked around trying to discover the reason for all the noise and rising temperature.

“Hey...” Ashley said as she looked up but got no further because a sound like a billion mice being stepped on all at once prevented Shran from hearing what she was trying to say.

The squeaking, rumbling noise grew in intensity until both Ashley and Shran were forced to put their hands over their ears in a vain attempt to block out the racket. Looking up they saw pieces of the rock ceiling come loose and fall to crash onto the ice below. Very slowly, almost in-perceptively at first the massive heating elements (for that was what they were) suspended above the ice started to move as they slowly changed colour from blackish-grey to dull red.

“OH MY GOD!” Ashley cried out in alarm, “SOMEONE'S SWITCHED THE MACHINE ON!!!”

Just then Katyusha appeared from out of the control room, Ashley's and Shran's eyes switched from the approaching doom of the rapidly heating elements to the rather frightened vampire standing in the archway.

“**YOU**!” the blue and green members of the party cried out accusingly.

“I SO DIDN'T DO IT!” the vampire claimed as a small Mars-quake caused everyone to stumble and grab for some form of support.

“LOOK!” Shran, who was now perspiring freely, pointed to the nearest element which had turned from dull red to cherry red in the time they'd been speaking.

“OH...MY...GOD!!” Ashley cried again as she looked up at her approaching demise.

“I'M GOING HOME!” Katyusha cried as she headed for the tunnel that had led them to the platform, “I DON'T LIKE IT HERE ANY MORE!”

After watching the rapidly departing vampire for a moment, Ashley and Shran looked at each other.

“FOLLOW THAT VAMPIRE!” they cried in chorus just before they ran after the rapidly moving bloodsucker.

No sooner had they entered the tunnel a heavy blast door, that no one had even suspected had been there, slammed shut with all the finality of the door to a long forgotten tomb. Not only did the door cut off the increasing heat it also cut down on the noise the machine was making allowing our heroes to speak more normally.

“Hey!” Ashley shouted after Katyusha, “Wait up!”

“Wait up!?” Katyusha called over her shoulder, “I'll 'wait up' when I'm safely on the surface again!”

“The vampire has a point,” Shran explained, “also that can't be the only blast door between here and the surface.”

“Yeah,” Ashley nodded seeing the sense in what Shran was saying, “lets get outta here!”

0=0=0=0

The earth moved for both Audvak and Jesdag, which was odd as neither one of them was having sex right at that moment.

“What was that?” Audvak asked as he wiped ineffectually at the dark, red, monster blood that stained his tunic.

“A Mars-quake?” Jesdag suggested as he stepped over a thick tentacle that lay on the floor.

“Does Mars have Mars-quakes?” Audvak asked as dust and small stones fell from the roof of the tunnel.

“I think its time to leave,” Jesdag pointed out as the ground began to vibrate and a strange 'thrumming' noise grew in intensity.

“That's all very well for you to say, but how do we get out of here?” Audvak demanded.

Looking back the way they'd just come the two Berghefgee noted the slaughtered monster that blocked one of the two directions open to them. Turning their heads they looked down the clear tunnel before looking at each other.

“THAT WAY!” the agreed just before they ran off into the darkness.

0=0=0=0

Two and Five covered the tunnel with their assault rifles while Eight did what she could for the injured human slaves, which was depressingly little. Most Valu medicines were lethal to humans, so Eight's efforts were restricted to bandaging wounds and trying to keep the most seriously injured alive until they could be taken to a vet who specialised in humans.

The ground shook and quite large pieces of stone were falling from the tunnel roof to bounce off the two Valu's helmets. When the human slaves had run from the tunnel in panic they told of a monster that had killed the Treens. This must have been what the firing from earlier had been about. Two knew that the Treens used plasma weapons, a type of weapon with little penetrative power. Plasma guns used extreme temperatures to destroy their targets so obviously this 'monster's' hide was heat proof. Valu assault rifles used high velocity kinetic penetrators so hopefully Two and her companion would succeed where the Treens had failed; the Valu were a very 'belt and braces' kind of people using both phasers and kinetic energy weapons. Not that the deaths of the Treens bothered either Two or Five, or indeed any Valu, it was just four less penis' that they'd have to kill before the galaxy was free of the scourge of males.

“You know when all this is over...” Two said to her battle-sister as more stones and sand rattled off her helmet.

“And you eat the bean of life?” Five replied as she moved position to get a better view down the tunnel

“That's right,” Two nodded, the ground seemed to lurch under her and the strange thrumming noise got louder still, “I'm going to start collecting human names, I might even adopt one myself.”

“A human?”

“No a name...it'll give me something to do while I'm pregnant,” Two explained.

“Why would you want a name?” Five asked as she squinted down the dust filled tunnel, she'd thought she'd seen something.

“Well, a numerical designation isn't very romantic is it?”

“Huh?”

“Look what's your last three?”

“934,” Five replied.

“Okay, imagine we're lovers.”

“Alright,” this wasn't difficult for Five to do because Two was very attractive.

“So, we're making love and I cry out, 'Oh! 934 I love you! Oh yes right there, yes! OH! 934 do me harder, faster!”

“'Do me harder'?” Five pondered Two's words for a moment before adding, “You think having a name would improve the romantic-sexual experience?”

“Why not?” Two shrugged, “It couldn't make it worse.”

“Whatever.”

“Think about it, the idea might grow on you,” Two explained, “Oh, hold on I'm getting something from One...” Two paused for a moment as she listened to the message coming over her helmet comms, “She's sending Nine, Ten, Eleven and Twelve to help us evacuate the humans, then we're to fall back to the surface.”

“About time,” Five glanced over her shoulder to where Eight cared for the six or seven injured humans, “But what about that Ash-Lee and her friends?”

“One didn't say anything about them,” Two pointed out, “and as that Ash-Lee The Race Traitor is in fact a race traitor I'm not going to worry about her well-being.”

Just at that moment the promised reinforcements turned up and started to carry the wounded to the surface while Two and Five formed a rearguard against whatever had killed the Treens.

“Hey!” Five called to get Two's attention, “I think I see something down there.”

“Maybe its this monster the humans keep going on about?” Two activated her low-light scanner but it didn't help as the air was so full of dust and falling rocks, “I can't see any...hold on!”

“What?”

“There...near the left hand side of the tunnel,” Two aimed at the point where she was almost sure she'd seen something move.

“Yeah I've got it too, Two,” Five called back, “You know you might have something there about the name-thing...”

“Why?”

“Too-two?”

“Yeah I see what you mean...watch your front!” Two ordered becoming the military professional again, “Fire only on my order...” the shape down the tunnel turned into two shapes, one vaguely humanoid and the other hideously misshapen, “...aim for the centre of mass and keep shooting 'til they go down and...”

“Wait!” Five cried out, “Its the Berghefgee!”

“And one of them is carrying an injured human!” gasped Two in surprise.

“Oh he'll probably force her to have sex with him later,” Five shrugged as she got to her feet.

“Perverts,” Two muttered as she considered shooting the two big alien males; she could always claim that she'd thought they were monsters come to attack them.

Unfortunately for Two, Audvak and Jesdag were now too close for her to claim misidentification as an excuse to shoot them, plus one of the aliens was indeed carrying an injured human female.

0=0=0=0

The lift lurched sickeningly to one side throwing its passengers to the floor.

“Where I come from,” Ashley said as she helped Shran back to his feet, “they always tell you not to use elevators during an earthquake.”

“Normally I'd agree that is very good advice,” Shran smiled his thanks to Ashley as she helped him brush the dust from his shoulders, “but as we were hundreds perhaps even thousands of feet under ground I don't really see an alternative.”

“True,” Ashley agreed, “I wouldn't want to have to run up...HEY!” an extra loud rumble caused Ashley to cry out loud as the lift came to a sudden halt before continuing its journey to the surface.

“I don't wanna get trapped in here,” Katyusha wailed.

“Gotta say I'm totally not looking forward to that idea either,” Ashley replied as she eyed the floor indicator nervously.

The floor indicator flashed incomprehensible symbols, however, although Ashley had no idea what they meant or how far they were from the surface and possible safety, her eyes kept going back to them as if seeking comfort in their progress.

“But have you ever seen a vampire who's not eaten in like forever?” Katyusha wanted to know.

“No,” Ashley braced herself against the lift wall, something was telling her that something really bad was about to happen.

“Like, neither have I,” the vampire sobbed, “and I totally don't want to find out...its a total bitch being immortal!”

“I can soon deal with...OOOOOOOOOOOH!” cried Ashley as a huge explosion went off under the lift.

The shock wave from the explosion forced the lift upwards at great speed like a bullet fired from the barrel of a gun. Flattened against the floor of the lift car by the gee-forces exerted by the rapidly accelerating lift, Shran had difficult breathing, while Ashley and Katyusha hardly noticed the change as neither of them actually needed to breath. Onward and upwards they flew until the gee-forces released them from its grip and they suddenly found themselves in zero-gee. The moments of peace and zero-gravity must have lasted for at least thirty seconds before the lift car and its passengers came to a sudden stop.

“UUUGH!” groaned Ashley.

“What happened?” Katyusha wanted to know.

“I think I've broken...” Shran did a rapid inventory of all his outlying bits and pieces, “...everything.”

With a 'ting' the lift doors opened to reveal that the pyramid had lost about its top third. Right at this moment large pieces of stonework were flying through the air to land at random (and lethal) points around the crater. But much more spectacular was the great column of steam, gas and dust that blasted upwards from the newly made hole in the top of the pyramid. The gas went upwards until it hit the top of the Martian atmosphere at which point it started to spread out in a sort of flattened mushroom cloud shape.

“The machine must be venting all the oxygen and hydrogen from the ice,” Shran yelled over the incredibly loud roaring from the pyramid-volcano.

“So Mars will have an atmosphere again?” Ashley asked as she crawled over to the door to watch the eruption.

“I doubt it,” Shran replied sadly, “I doubt there's the right mixture of gasses to make a proper atmosphere and even if it did it'd probably float off into space due to Mars' low gravity.”

“Y'know?” Ashley sighed heavily as she forced herself to stand up, “For such an advanced race these 'Ancients' seem to have been a bunch of total idiots.”

“Whatever,” Katyusha said as she came over to Ashley and helped her pull Shran to his feet, “can we go home now?”

0=0=0=0


	15. Chapter 15

Arriving at the lip of the crater the commander of the Jawa Horde cried out in alarm at what he saw. Somehow, someone had awoken the Great Old One who'd started the great machine that would alter life on Mars for all time. For a moment the Commander pondered why everything old was called Great, he also pondered the fact that the Jawa people had a vested interest in keeping Mars exactly as it was, so he'd better do something before it was too late. Looking around at his available forces, he saw that he had twenty-five sand-crawlers and hundreds of Jawa warriors at his command. Also, like most movie directors he'd never read much in the way of military history which is why after only a moment's thought he ordered his forces to simply 'charge' and eliminate the interlopers who had caused the Great Old One to rise from his tomb. Once the aliens were dead he'd see about switching the machine off.

0=0=0=0

“Recon drones report Jawa to the south-east,” One's voice sounded in Two's ears over her comms, “thousands of them!”

Looking up from where she was helping Five to her feet, Two saw that there were indeed thousands of Jawa running towards the camp site supported by at least a couple of dozen sand-crawlers.

“What the feck!?” Two exclaimed as she finally got Five to her feet again, “As thick as porridge and as black as night.”

“What?” Five asked as she regained her balance while checking she had all her equipment, Two pointed to the approaching horde, “Oh spring!” Five exclaimed as she got her words mixed up in all the excitement, “Where the frig did they come from?”

“No idea,” Two replied as she checked on how much ammunition she was carrying before deciding that it wasn't enough, she spoke into her comms, “Orders? Over.”

“Take your troopers and defend the camp area, over”

“To the last bullet or the last woman?” Two wanted to know.

“Neither...I hope,” One announced, “they're coming at us dumb, so I'm taking the speeder out to slaughter the little, penis wagging, creeps! Over.”

“Good luck with that, over” Two replied.

“Don't need luck,” One chuckled, “just need loads of bullets...out!!”

Turning, Two quickly counted up her own available forces, including herself she had seven Valu, two Berghefgee and eight injured humans, not much of an army she told herself.

“You two Berghefgee,” Two turned to address Audvak and Jesdag, “stay here and defend the wounded as best you can.”

“Don't worry,” Audvak brandished his clever-like sword and his ray-gun, “no one will get past us while we live...we might even be able to give you some supporting fire if you like.”

“I would be grateful,” Two nodded her thanks, the two aliens were brave, it was a pity they'd have to die with every other penis in the galaxy!

“Right you Emgafs,” Two turned to her sister mercenaries, “do you want to live forever...?”

“Well,” Five replied with a grin, “I was thinking of asking you if you needed any help bringing up your daughter and maybe having one myself, so, yes I was hoping to live quite a while longer.”

“Whatever,” Two shrugged, “DEATH TO THE PENIS!” she cried, “FOLLOW ME!”

Watching as the Valu mercenaries ran off towards the camp, Audvak and Jesdag looked at each other, “Death to the penis?” Jesdag asked.

“It's a Valu thing,” Audvak replied, “now I wonder where Ash-Lee is...?”

0=0=0=0

Carrying Shran between them, Ashley and Katyusha ran up to where Audvak and Jesdag stood. Dropping the Andorian unceremoniously onto the hard Martian ground, Ashley lept at Audvak and threw her arms around his neck while wrapping her legs around his waist as she kissed him passionately.

“Oh I've missed you so much!” Ashley cried between kisses, “I thought you'd been killed.”

“No, no,” Audvak laughed as he returned Ashley's kisses and ran his hands over her lithe body, “it takes more than a big, blood-drinking, multi-tentacled monster to kill me!”

“Thank god for that!” Ashley sighed gratefully, before asking, “Do you think we've got time for a quickie?” 

“Erm...” Audvak hesitated as he worked out rates of advance set against the time needed for a 'quickie', “...I'm sorry my little love muffin...”

“Love muffin?” everyone who wasn't Ashley or Audvak chorused.

“...but I think there's more pressing matters.”

“More pressing than having sex, even if it is only a quickie?” Ashley replied as she slid down Audvak's body so she was once again standing on her own two feet again.

“I'm afraid so,” Audvak gestured with his ray-gun towards the advancing Jawa horde.

“Oh, yeah, I see what you mean,” Ashley agreed, “but after we're done here I want a real good, long shag!”

“Shag?” Katyusha whispered in Shran's ear.

“I believe its an archaic human word that was used on certain parts of Earth to describe the act of making love,” Shran explained.

“Oh...” Katyusha pondered Shran's reply, “...do you 'shag'?”

“Well, yes,” Shran replied slightly taken-aback, “when the opportunity presents itself...”

“Okay people,” Ashley called out, now that the prospect of sex had receded there were other things that needed doing; Ashley pointed to the advancing Jawa horde and its accompanying sand-crawlers, which were only about one-hundred-and-fifty yards away, “Phasers, so _not_ on stun, and...SHOOT!”

0=0=0=0

Sitting in the command chair of the Valu armed speeder, One smiled as the vehicle closed the distance with the Jawa horde. The vehicle's combat computer told her that the Jawa's were armed with little more than small arms. Even the sand-crawlers were armed with the local equivalent of single barrelled machine guns. On the other hand there were quite a lot of them.

The combat speeder was armed with two 23mm, tri-barrelled auto-cannon, each of which was capable of reducing a sand-crawler to scrap metal with a three or four second burst of fire. It also had two 5mm multi-barrelled machine guns capable of firing at a rate of 4000 rounds a minute; One's only real concern was that she might run out of bullets before she ran out of Jawas or they broke and ran.

“Weapons operators,” One called out over the inter-comm, “chose your targets but remember to stay within your own arcs of fire...now...OPEN FIRE...ALL WEAPONS!”

The combat speeder juddered as its weapons tore into the massed ranks of Jawas. The auto-cannon gunners put precise bursts of armour piercing special effects rounds into each of the sand-crawler as they presented themselves. The 23mm rounds punched through the thin metal of the sand-crawler's sides, at first nothing appeared to happen but then the cannon shells would explode inside the crawlers and great gouts of smoke and flame would erupt from ever hatch and vent in the crawler's hull. The doomed sand-crawler would then lurch to a halt as its crew frantically abandon their burning vehicle only to be swept away by bursts on 5mm machine gun rounds. Within seconds of the armoured speeder's weapons opening fire more than half the Jawa sand-crawlers were smoking wrecks. 

The Jawa infantry faired even worse, the Valu, when they were not firing at the crawler's crews as the jumped from their stricken vehicles, the speeder's machine guns cut down the exposed Jawa's in their hundreds. Soon piles of dead and dying Jawas lay bleeding on the Martian sand staining it a deeper shade of red with their blood. Frenziedly the surviving Jawas fired back at their tormentor, but the speeder was too fast for them to get a good lock on and even when they did hit the Jawa air-rifles did little damage. The battle, if it could be called that, lasted no more than five minutes. Once again it had been proved that simply charging a foe who were equipped with superior weapons was a recipe for disaster.

“Driver!” One called into microphone, “Keep after them...gunners keep firing, don't let them get away I never want to have to fight these scum again...Sisters, this is a great day for Valu-kind!”

“HURRAH!” cheered the speeder crew before going back to their bloody execution of the Jawas.

0=0=0=0

Checking the charge level on her phaser, Ashley noted that she had less than a third of a charge left. But this wasn't a problem, the battle was more or less over. The Jawas who'd attacked herself and her friends hadn't got closer than one-hundred yards. The Jawa infantry lay in untidy, smouldering, heaps around their position while the few survivors ran for the illusionary safety of the crater wall.

“Cool,” Ashley smiled at all the death and destruction around her, her mind was telling her that the Jawas were demons so she didn't feel in anyway guilty about killing so many of the child-like creatures. “So,” she turned and smiled up into Audvak's face, “how about a quickie on account?”

“On account?” Audvak asked as he slipped his ray-gun back into its holster and his sword into its sheath.

“On account of I totally haven't had any sex in hours!” Ashley announced just before she threw herself at her big, brown, space demon.

0=0=0=0

Trying to ignore all the moaning, slurping, grunting and groaning, Jesdag turned his eyes to where the eight injured human slaves sat or lay on the sand. He'd had his eye on one particular female; she had skin which was a couple of shades lighter than his own and short frizzy black hair. Her eyes were big and brown and her breasts were full and firm. Also she wasn't too badly injured, the starship's medical bay would soon heal her up and wouldn't leave any trace that the girl had been injured. Also, as the Treens were all dead, she didn't actually belong to anyone, so he wouldn't have to buy her. Smiling Jesdag walked over to where the girl rested and sat down beside her.

“Hello,” Jesdag said with what he hoped was a friendly grin, “my names Jesdag, how would you like to join me in roaming the galaxy and having a real good time?”

0=0=0=0

“Well...” Shran tried not to look at where Ashley and Audvak were copulating on the sand, instead he turned to Katyusha who was still standing next to him.

“Well?” Katyusha asked.

“Well what do we do now?”

“Don't know,” Katyusha shrugged, “I suppose I'll go back to doing what I was doing before all this started.”

“You don't sound so sure that's a good thing.”

“Totally,” Katyusha sighed sadly, “y'know I was drawn to this place...?”

“I guested,” Shran nodded, “when it didn't match the descriptions in my books. I kind of guessed you'd led us to the wrong place.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, but I am supposed to be evil so I don't really feel that bad about it.”

“Whatever,” Shran shrugged, “as it turned out I got to discover an artefact that no one even guessed existed and of course there's all the treasure.”

“Treasure's always good too,” Katyusha admitted.

While everyone had been fighting and talking the pyramid had stopped erupting, there was now only a rather gentle cloud of gas coming from the top of the pyramid to join the clouds above it.

“Hey!” Katyusha laughed as the first flakes of frozen gas floated down to settle on her hair and shoulders, “Its snowing!”

“Just like home on a summer's day,” Shran added wistfully.

“I remember it used to snow in Mother-Russia,” Katyusha sighed, “I used to like the snow when I was a girl, you didn't have to go to school and my mom would let me play outside with my friends.”

“What a nice place Earth must be,” Shran said wistfully.

“Oh its not so bad,” Katyusha replied, “at least it wasn't, I don't know what its like now.”

“Erm...Katyusha,” Shran said haltingly, “how'd you like to come back to Andoria with me, there's plenty of snow to play in there.”

“I'd like to Shran,” Katyusha smiled sadly, “but what would I eat?”

“We have replicator technology,” Shran pointed out, “We could replicate blood and there'd be no reason for you to bite anyone on the neck.”

“There wouldn't?” for a vampire, Katyusha had never felt right about all the biting and sucking, “But what would I do there?”

“I'm sure I can think of something...” Shran smiled as he took hold of Katyusha's hand in his own.

0=0=0=0

Over at the main camp, Two slipped her last full magazine into her rifle. The battle at the main camp had been a near run thing, a damned near run thing. The Jawas had almost overrun the garrison, they'd even got into the camp itself. They'd burnt one of the two cargo speeders and destroyed the slave's habitat, they even managed to kill Eleven and wound Nine. But the Jawas had paid for this limited success, they lay in piles around the camp, in fact none of the Jawas who'd gained access to the camp had got away. Even the human slaves had picked up tools and joined the Valu in defeating the penis clutching, midget, sex perverts. The slaves knew that if the Jawa's won they'd only be sold to new masters or kept to serve the Jawa's own, perverted sexual desires.

“So we won!” Five said as she came to stand next to Two.

“Again,” Two nodded.

“As usual, don't you mean?”

“Of course,” Two nodded, “but this time I don't really feel like I've struck a blow for all Valu-kind.”

“It's probably coz you're feeling broody.”

“Perhaps you're right,” Two agreed, “as soon as I'm released from this contract I'm taking my share and heading home.”

“Y'want some company?” Five asked, “This soldiering-thing is getting a bit old, y'know?”

“Well,” Two smiled, “I wouldn't mind seeing how a relationship between us might develop.”

“I was hoping you'd say that,” Five stood a little closer to Two, “have you thought any more about that name thing you were going on about?”

“As it happens I have,” Two turned to face Five, “I thought I'd adopt a human name to go in front of my numerical designation...”

“So?”

“I rather liked, 'Cordelia',” Two announced, “according to the humans it was the name of one of their heroes from the Time Before.”

“Time Before?” Five frowned.

“Human history,” Cordelia Two explained, “I'll tell you about it later.”

“So what about a name for me?”

“Well, I thought you might ask,” Cordelia grinned, “so I did some research...”

“Research?” Five gasped, “When did you have time to do research?”

“I had plenty of time, I've been thinking about this for ages.”

“Okay,” Five took off her helmet and shook her hair loose, “a name for me...”

“How do you like, 'Harmony'?”

“Harmony Five,” Five tasted the words, “sounds good, who was this Harmony woman then?”

“According to some of the Earth legends, she was Cordelia's lover,” Cordelia said as she pulled off her own helmet and let her scarlet curls fall about her shoulders.

“Lover, eh?” Harmony Five stepped closer to Cordelia until their lips were almost touching, “Sounds good to me.”

“What?” Cordelia sighed, “The name or the lover thing?”

“Both...” Harmony gasped just before she pressed her lips against Cordelia's.

0=0=0=0

“I think it must be something in the air,” Ashley said as she adjusted what little clothes she was wearing.

“What's that?” Audvak asked as he stood up and pulled up his tights.

“All the sex at totally inappropriate times,” Ashley explained.

“Then its nothing to do with my animal magnetism or that you're a raging nymphomaniac?” Audvak suggested.

Ashley thought for a moment or two before she replied.

“Nah,” she shook her head, “it's something in the air...or the food...or...”

“Or, you just can't keep your hands off me,” the big space-demon smiled.

“Whatever,” Ashley shrugged.

0=0=0=0


	16. Chapter 16

**The Epilogue.**

The battle was over and no one, at least no one who was important, had been killed or wounded. The snow fell to cover the bodies of the dead Jawas softening their outlines, but as the temperature in the crater was well above freezing point the snow soon melted and the crater was beginning to look as if it was going to turn into one giant lake. It was time to get organized and move on.

After destroying the last of the Jawa sand-crawlers, the Valu commander, 'One of Twelve' returned and negotiations about what was to happen next began in earnest. At first One wanted to shoot Audvak, Jesdag and Shran for the crime of having a penis, only then would she agree to share out the treasure collected by the Treens equally between all the surviving females. Of course Ashley and surprisingly Katyusha objected to killing the males. The argument continued for several minutes as the water level slowly rose around their feet and legs.

Eventually, One agreed not to shoot the males, but she refused, point-blanc, to share the treasure with them. Finally it was agreed that each woman would get a fourteenth share of the treasure. The freed human slaves would be taken into the care of the Valu and be moved to a planet free of males and under the protection of the Valu Confederation.

With water sloshing around her legs, Ashley moved her share of the treasure to one of the surviving speeders.

“Where's Katyusha and Shran?” Ashley asked as she took sacks of treasure from Audvak's hands and piled them into the cargo hold of the speeder, there really was a lot of treasure.

“They grabbed her share, piled it into that luxury speeder the Treens had and headed off south at high speed,” Audvak explained.

“Hey!” Ashley exclaimed, “And I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.”

“From the looks on their faces,” Audvak smirked, “I think they had other things on their minds...what is it about human females and sex?”

“Katyusha is a vampire, its different for them,” Ashley pointed out.

“Yeah right,” the smirk on Audvak's face got wider still.

“Erm, Ashley,” Jesdag staggered up under the weight of several sacks of jewels, “what are you going to do with all this treasure?”

“Oh don't worry,” Ashley smiled, “you'll get a share.”

“I will?” Jesdag looked really confused at Ashley's words.

“Humans are like that, at least some of them are,” Audvak explained.

“Oh,” Jesdag would have scratched his head if his hands weren't full.

“Yeah, the soul of generosity, that's me,” Ashley laughed, “and anyway I totally want you to start that import-export business.”

“You do!?” the two space-demons chorused in surprise.

“Yeah, why not?” Ashley shrugged, the water was around her knees now so she climbed up into the speeder before explaining herself, “Look, from what I've seen human girls would be better off with your people working as companions than they are on Mars. BUT,” Ashley cast the two big aliens a warning look, “as I'm basically bank-rolling you I have some demands...”

“Demands?” Jesdag gulped as the water rose still higher.

“Yeah, I'll like explain when we're somewhere drier,” Ashley replied darkly.

It only took them half an hour to get their treasure and gear stowed aboard the speeder and they headed off towards Kaza where they'd left the ship. As they travelled Ashley set out her demands for Jesdag's trading business.

“Look, I understand you guys have got to make a profit an' such, so this is what I'm going to do,” Ashley explained as she sat in the seat next to Audvak's, “I'll bank-roll you for which I want thirty percent of the profits, another thirty goes to Audvak coz you'll be using his ship, you keep the other thirty and the last ten goes to that colony for free humans the Valu are going to set up, okay?”

“Okay,” Jesdag replied reluctantly.

“Okay, so, you buy your girls and sell them to their new owners,” Ashley didn't like what she was saying but it was the best she could think of just now, at least this way at least some human females would have a better life, “but, they only work for their new owners for five years with strict safe guards on their safety and treatment. At the end the girl goes free or if she wants she can stay with her owner as a free companion, okay?”

“Weeeell...” Jesdag was about to start complaining but was interrupted by Audvak.

“That sounds fine, doesn't it Jesdag?” Audvak said pointedly as he looked over his shoulder at Jesdag.

“Oh! Yes, sure,” Jesdag replied once he'd seen the look in Audvak's eye.

“Your humans will be quite safe with the Berghefgee, Ashley,” Audvak explained.

“Well...” Ashley was about to say more but Audvak continued to speak.

“Have I ever mistreated you?” Audvak wanted to know.

“Never,” Ashley replied quickly, “okay there was that stuff when we first met but...”

“The pheromones only work if the female is open to the idea of sex anyway,” Audvak reminded her.

“Yeah, sure, totally,” Ashley agreed.

“I think I can safely guarantee that while a human female is owned by a Berghefgee she'll come to no harm, it simply isn't our way.”

“And what about your females, won't they get jealous?” Ashley wanted to know.

“I have a feeling that some of our females will be buying human females too,” Audvak smirked.

“Yes,” Jesdag laughed, “this could be the start of a beautiful friendship!”

Ashley certainly hoped it would be, the Berghefgee seemed decent enough, although she'd only met two of the race, and the sex was really good. But was that enough to assuage her guilt from becoming what was basically a slave trader and pimp combined? It would have to be, at the present time she had no chance of freeing all humans across the galaxy, so, she needed to be pragmatic about this. Saving a few women and girls from the hands of creatures that saw them only as mere animals to be used and abused at their whim, was better than saving none. But one day, and Ashley hoped she'd live to see that day, there really would be freedom in the galaxy!

0=0=0=0

It was now two weeks later and Audvak's ship was in orbit around Mars before making course for the Berghefgee home world. One of the cargo bays had been converted into quite a comfortable dormitory for the fifty human women and girls who would be the first 'companions' to be sold (Ashley shuddered at the use of the word, but there was no helping it) on Audvak's home planet.

Just at the moment Ashley was in the communal recreational area talking to Loran, the brown girl that Jesdag had somehow managed to smuggle away from the Valu and aboard the ship without anyone noticing. The girl was aged about eighteen or nineteen and although her skin was the colour of dark coffee her features where very European while her hair was shore and curly. Just at the moment she was wearing one of the semi-see-through outfits that Ashley habitually wore around the ship, only Loran's was white while Ashley's was black.

“So, how are you finding life with Jesdag?” Ashley asked as she got tall, cool fruit drinks from the food replicator for them both.

“Very good,” Loran smiled as she accepted the drink from Ashley, “at first I was very frightened, but for a demon so big and fierce looking he is very kind and gentle.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” Ashley sipped her own drink.

“And the sex is fantastic!” Loran giggled, “I didn't think I'd like it, him being a male, but its really good!”

“Yeah, it is isn't it!” Ashley joined in with Loran's laughter just as Audvak came into the compartment.

“I'm glad to see you two girls are getting on,” he said as he walked over to join the two humans.

“Yeah we were about to swap notes on how good you where in bed,” Ashley quipped.

“I'm flattered,” Audvak grinned, “but it'll have to wait...”

“It will?” Ashley said with faux disappointment.

“I'm afraid it will,” Audvak said sadly, “its time we got you out of your disguise.”

“It is?” Ashley had sort of grown used to being green, “I suppose...”

Getting up she followed Audvak out of the rec-area and along the corridor towards the medical bay.

“Can I keep the boobs?” Ashley asked, “And can you make me just a little taller?”

“Sorry,” Audvak commiserated, “but I can only put you back to the way you were, but, I've reconsidered the hair thing...I admit I was wrong you look even more attractive with hair than without it.”

“Knew you'd agree with me eventually,” Ashley smirked as they arrived at the sick bay and walked into the compartment.

“Okay, I admitted I was wrong, now get undressed and jump into the machine so I can say goodbye to Ash-Lee and get my Ashley back.”

“Yes oh master,” Ashley joked as she undressed and got into the machine that would get her back to how she should look.

Once Ashley was in the machine and comfortable, Audvak closed the lid saying, “this won't take a minute...”

“Did I ever tell you how much I hate confined spaces?” Ashley cried as the lid to the machine was locked in place.

“Many times my dear, sweet Ashley,” Audvak muttered to himself as he switched on the machine and closed down Ashley's chip so she'd not know what was happening to her.

Once the readouts told him that all of Ashley flesh and organs had been removed from her metal skeleton, Audvak got up from his seat and opened the lid of the machine. Inside the machine, Ashley's skeleton was all shiny, silver, metal and Audvak sighed at the sight of her.

“Even with no flesh you look sexy,” he told the inert form, “now lets have a look at your chip.”

Taking a special tool he removed the chip from Ashley's head and examined it under a magnifying glass.

“As I thought just a little corroded,” Audvak said quietly, “I think I'll replace it just to be on the safe side.”

Slipping the chip into a port on the control panel, he put a new chip into another port and down loaded the information on the old chip onto the new. Next he tweaked Ashley's programming a little so it made her a little less eager to kill people because it was the easiest way of dealing with a problem; he also made her more open to some of his more unusual sexual fantasies. Satisfied with his work he popped the new chip out of the machine and replaced it in Ashley's skull. After securing the lid of the machine once more he switched it on and sat back while it rebuilt her body.

After half-an-hour the sound of a bell dinging announced to Audvak that Ashley was 'cooked' and ready to be let out of the machine. Opening the lid again he gazed down on the beauty that was his Ashley. He smiled at her long blonde hair and once again admitted that he'd been so wrong about building the first Ashley with no hair on her head or indeed anywhere on her body. Whatever, it was time to switch her on again.

“Wake up Ashley,” Audvak called softly.

“Audvak?” Ashley frowned a little as she blinked open her eyes and stared up at the space-demon, “Audvak?” she smiled sleepily on catching sight of her friend and lover.

“Hi Ashley,” Audvak smiled down at her.

“Did I fall asleep?” Ashley pushed herself up into a sitting position, she felt a little confused as if she'd forgotten something very important, like; switching off the gas at home before going on vacation, but her memories soon flooded back into her mind.

“Just for a little while,” Audvak explained, “I had to give you a disguise, remember? But now you're back to your old self again...do you trust me?”

“With my life...” Ashley reached out and took hold of Audvak's hand.

“Everything's going be alright...” the space-demon smiled reassuringly.

“...now you're here...” Ashley replied happily.

THE END.


End file.
